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AGE OF THE WORLD, 

AS FOUNDED ON THE SACRED RECORDS, 

HISTORIC AND PROPHETIC; 

AND THH 

"SIGNS OF THE TIMES," 

VIEWED IN THE ASPECT OF PREMONITIONS 

OF THE 

SPEEDY ESTABLISHMENT ON THE EARTH, 

OF THE 

MILLENIAL STATE, 

BY THE SECOND, PERSONAL, PRE-MILLENIAL ADVENT OF CHRIST : 
WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 

VINDICATING THE CLAIMS OF SACRED CHRONOLOGY AGAINST THE 
CAVILS OF THE 

ATHEIST, ANTIQUARIAN, AND INFIDEL. 

Originally delivered in Three Lectures, at the Apollo Rooms, Broadway, New-York, 
on the Sunday Evenings of December 26th, 1841, and January -2d, and 23$, 1842. 

PUBLISHED BY REQUEST. 



" The vision is yet for an appointed time ; but at the end it shall speak and not lie : 
though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely come ; it will not tarry."— Habakkuk. 

" Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand."— St . John. 



BY THE REV. R. C. SHIMEALL. 

A Presbyter of the Prot. Epis. Church in the Diocese of New-York. 

AUTHOR OF SCR. PTURAL AND ECCLESIASTIC AL CHARTS WATTS' SCRIP. 
HISf. ENLARGED, TREATISE ON PRAYER, ETC. 



N E W Y O R K : 

SWORDS, STAlNi-ORD & CO 
152 Broadway, 
L842. 



b\^ 



Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1842, by 
THE REV. R. C. SHIMEALL; 

In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern District of 
New - York. 



The Library 
of Conor ess 

WASHlNOTQIf 



LC Control Number 




A. G. rOWELL, FRIST. 



tmp96 028328 



TO ALL 



INTERESTED IN THE 



MOMENTOUS INGIUIRY 

AS TO WHAT THE SCRIPTURES TEACH 

OP 

"TIMES AND SEASONS," 

THESE LECTURES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED, 
BY THEIR HUMBLE SERVANT, 

THE AUTHOR. 



" ALMIGHTY GOD, GIVE US GRACE THAT WE MAY 
CAS? AWAY THE WORKS OF DARKNESS, AND PUT 
UPON US THE ARMOUR OF LIGHT, NOW IN THE TIME 
OF THIS MORTAL LIFE, IN WHICH THY SON JESUS 
CHRIST CAME TO VISIT US IN GREAT HUMILITY; 



THAT IN THE LAST DAY, 



WHEN HE SHALL COME AGAIN IN HIS GLORIOUS 
MAJESTY TO JUDGE BOTH THE QUICK AND THE 
DEAD. WE MAY RISE TO THE LIFE IMMORTAL, 
THROUGH HIM WHO LPvETH AND REIGNETH WITH 
THEE AND THE HOLY GHOST, NOW AND EVER. 

AMEN." 



CONTENTS 



Page 
Preface xv 

INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

SECTION I. 

The subject of the first Lecture. — The Age of the World ac- 
cording to Scripture — believed by some — rejected by others 1 

Of the latter there are three classes, the Atheist, the Infidel, and 
the Antiquarian ; and some also who profess Christianity 2 

I. Proposition I. That the material universe, of which our 

GLOBE FORMS A PART, IS NOT ETERNAL — CONSEQUENTLY OUR 
CLOBE, OR THE WORLD WHICH WE INHABIT, IS NOT ETERNAL 4 

1. (1) Atheism. — Christianized Atheism ib 

Its advocates, Grotius and Vatabulus. Their perversion of 

Gen. i. 1 ib 

AlsoofEccles. 19 — 11 6 

(2.) Atheism undisguised, or the Aristotelian philosophy. Aver- 

roes, Avicenna, Alfaraba, and others 7 

Spinoza. — His system defined 8 

Defective. — The whole created universe constituted of the es- 
sence of matter, or of mind, or both — and, if not common to 

all, it is to apart — Man ib 

Matter. What 11 

Refutation of the Atheistic principle of the eternity of matter ib 

Intelligence. Proof of. 12 

Result. — Evidence from Scripture 13 

Tertuilian's consequent triumph over Thales the Grecian phi- 
losopher. 16 

Collins, the Free-thinker ib 

Conclusion ib 



VI CONTENTS. 

SECTION II. 

2. The Antiquarian. He admits the Eternal existence of the 
Great First Cause, but claims, That remote authentic anti- 
quity ASCRIBES A VASTLY GREATER AGE TO THIS GLOBE, THAN 
THAT SET FORTH BY THE INSPIRED WRITERS 17 

This claim, founded on the ancient cabalas of the Hindoos, Egyp- 
tians, Chinese, Persians, Etruscans, &cc ib 

These accounts admitted as matters of historical record, but de- 
nied to be founded in truth; and an antecedent antiquity- 
claimed in behalf of the Sacred writings, upon a comparison 
with the profane, as predicated of their internal evidence 19 

(1.) The sources of Ante-diluvian profane antiquity. Thyoth — 
Sanchoniathon — while uncorrupted left accounts very agree- 
able to that of Moses. — No existing accounts that can be re- 
lied on. — corrupted at an early period. — Extravagant 20 

(2.) Profane Post-diluvian History. Herodotus — Xenophon — 
Ctesias. — Learning of the Indians — Confucius. — Of the 
original works of the most ancient Phoenicians, Egyptians, 
and Grecians, no remains. — Herodotus not to be relied 
on — not so Ctesias 23 

Catalogue of authorities respecting the Egyptian, Chinese, and 
Assyrian Dynasties. 1st Egypt. The old Egyptian Chro- 
nographeon. — Manetho. — Eratosthenes. — Josephus' Mane- 
tho — Chronographia of Sextus Julius Africanus. — Chron- 
icon of Euseb. Pamphilius. — The Chronographia of Syn- 
cellus. — Canon Chron. of Sir John Marsham .23 

2d. Chinese Records 28 

3rd. Assyrian Do. Herodotus, Ctesias, Zenophon, Aristotle, 
Strabo, Diodorus Siculus ib 

Perplexity of remote profane history, &c 29 

Original invention of Letters 30 

Coincidence of ancient Profane Physiological philosophy with 
the Cosmogony of Moses 36 

Ancient Philosophers — Orpheus, Thales, Pythagorus, Plato, 
Aristotle. — Pherecydes, Anaximander, Anaximines, Anaxi- 
gorus. — Leucippus, Democritus. — Consequence of their de- 
parture from tradition. — First perverted by the Greeks. — 
Atheism of Aristotle. — Not so those who preceded him. — 
Conclusion. — necessity of a Divine Revelation ib 



CONTENTS. Vli 



SECTION III, 



On Time, as viewed in connexion with the origin of the material 
universe. — Import of the term "day," as used in the 1st chapter of 
Genesis — whether a natural day of 24 hours, or a period of vastly 
greater length. — Argument from analogy in nature and Providence 
— from the physiological and oryctological discoveries of science. 
I. Presumptive evidence, as derived from the six days work of 

creation 47 

On this subject, there are four classes of opinions 51 

Examination of the Theory, which attributes the creation of the 
globe out of the destruction of a previously existing planet. 52 

Examination of the above four classes of opinions 56 

Evidence, that the six days organization of the material uni- 
verse was each a period of vast length. — The question is 
not,what the Almighty could do, but what he actually did do. 58 
I. That each of the six days was a period of vast length, is 
evident, 

1. From the ordinary and obvious process of organization as 
therein described 60 

2. From the physiological structure of the globe 62 

The first creation comparatively imperfect. — This not a new 

theory. — Council of Nice A. D. 325. — Catechism of Edward 
VI. — Dr. Burnet. 
Physical construction of the earth, as gathered from the vari- 
ous phenomena of the subterranean world. — Fossils. — can- 
not all be accounted for by the Deluge. — Harmony between 
the Mosaic cosmogony, and the scientific discoveries of phys- 
iology. — Folly of relying upon human reason alone, in the 
application of this science to existing phenomena. — All diffi- 
culties vanish when viewed in connexion with Revelation. 

SECTION IV. 

Duration of the Sabbatical Rest of the Almighty. — Assumed to 
be 6000 years — if so, then rrguing homognuously, each of the 
six days was a period of 6000 years. — Faber on this point. . . 84 

Recapitulation, &c 89 



Vlll CONTENTS. 

SECTION V. 

3. Infidelity. Objection, that Moses cannot be the author of the 
books ascribed to him. — Answered 92 

LECTURE I. 

AGE OF THE WORLD, &c. 

Text, Matt, xxiv., 3 m 97 

Analysis of the Introductory Essay 97 

Subject. — Age of the World, &c. 

I. Proposition I. God in his infinite wisdom has assigned to 

THE WORLD WHICH WE INHABIT, BOTH IN RELATION TO ITS PHYS- 
ICAL AND MORAL CONSTITUTION, A LIMITED AND DEFINITE DURA- 
TION. 

II. Proposition II. This limited and definite duration of the 

WORLD, AS COMPREHENDED UNDER THREE SUCCESSIVE DISPENSA- 

f tions, Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian, is a subject 

FULLY REVEALED TO God's PEOPLE IN HIS WORD 100 

Paraphrase of the Text ib 

Christ's prediction. — Analysis of the xxivth and xxvth chap- 
ters of St. Matthew, from the Rev. G. E. Hare's " Christ to 
return." 101 

The question proposed, — shall we attempt to fix upon the point 
of time, in round numbers, upon which we now stand, in the 
successive evolutions of God's dispensations to man 1 104 

Against such an attempt, there is an evident popular reluctance. 
— Abuse of the subject by fanatics. — Mosheim's Eccles. 
Hist. — Joanna Southcoate and the Mormon delusion. — 
Word of warning. — Elegant extract from the preface to 
Hare's " Christ to Return," by the Right Rev. L. S. Ives, D. 
D., Bishop of N. Carolina. 

A return to the question, as above 113 

Objections ib 

Preliminaries. 

1. -Authoritative data of information in conducting our inqui- 
ries. — Annals of Profane chronology 115 

Sacred chronology. 

(1.) The Samaritan Pentateuch 116 



CONTENTS. IX 

(2.) The Septuagint 117 

(3.) The Hebrew ib 

Which of these has the precedence in point of Authority .... ib 
Difference between the chronology of the Septuagint and He- 
brew of 1500 years. — How accounted for ib 

Return to the two propositions at the head of this Lecture. — 

GLuere, " Can these things be?" 119 

Various forms of speech used in Scripture to designate Time. — 
The term " Day," Gen. i. — The argument of analogy, a p?-i- 
ori, from the Word of God, harmonizes with the argument a 

posteriori, from the works of God 120 

The length of the Seventh Day determines (homogeneously) 
the length of each of the six days. — Preliminaries. — Pre- 

Adamites 122 

The Seventh Day, — when did it commence ? What is length ?. 130 

Objection, no express declaration of this in Scripture .'". 135 

Answer to this, as founded on inferential proof. — Questions from 
the most ancient Brahmenical Sages. — Jewish writers. — 

Christian writers. — The Scriptures 136 

The Seal of prophetic mysteries as to times and seasons now 
broken. — The two propositions as above merged into one. — 

Bickersteth on this subject 142 

Objection to this exposition, viz., that it is a trifling evasion 145 

Answer 147 

Proof, that times and seasons were revealed to Christ, &c 149 

With this representation corresponds the general tenor of Goa's 
word, Historic and Prop/tetic, in determining, with the utmost 
precision the age of the world, from the creation and fail of 
man, down to the consummation of all things. — For this purpose 
a golden chain of measurement is given, which we divide 

into two parts 151 

The necessity of fixing upon a criterion of measurement of time, 
the questions, are the years in sacred time, historic and pro- 
phetic, the same? Does time, as measured by sacred chronol- 
ogy, harmonize with owe solar year 1 meeting us at every turn 152 
Chronology, as a science, possesses few attractions, hence, little 
studied, and less understood, yet susceptible of explication, 
even to ordinary minds 153 



X CONTENTS. 

Chronology treats of divisions of time, rather than of time in the 

abstract 155 

Has finally attained to great perfection 157 

Length of the Solu,r year. — Of the Lunar. — The latter adopted 
by the Arabians, forms the measurement of time of the Ma- 
homedan Era. — Profane history measured by the Solar year 
of 365 days. 

Length of the Ante-diluvian year 159 

Dr. Halley's account of the ancient philosophers 160 

The Brazen Age. — Era of Sesostris. — Thales, the first to cor- 
rect the Greek year. — The Greeks however, not the "pion- 
eers " of astronomical science. — Their astronomy between 
the time of Solon and Hipparchus, vague and undefined. — 
The Attic or Athenian lunar year. — The Macedonian Calen- 
dar. — The Greek (Eucumenical Council. — The era of the 
Sele'ucidae. — The Cecropian Era and Parian Chroncicle. — The 
Consular Era. — The Olympiads. 

The Julian year 168 

The Gregorian Calendar 170 

The Persians 171 

Origin and progress of Cycles, to harmonize the Lninar with the 
Solar year. — Cleostratus. -— The first Cycle of Dieteres, of 
two years. — The Tetraeteris, a Cycle of four years. — The 
Octoeteris, of eight years. — The Cycle of Meto, of nineteen 
years. — The Calippic Cycle of seventy-six years. The Juli- 
an, and Juliano-Gregorian Cycle, now the universally ad- 
mitted standard ib 

Proof of the difference between Ante-diluvian and Post-diluvian 

solar time 176 

Gtuere. Can the sacred Jew«sh year {lunar) Historic and Pro- 
phetic, be made to harmonize with the Julian solar year 1 — 
Answer. As of the Julian solar year, so of the Jewish lunar 
year. Intercalary time was a characteristic peculiar to 

both. Hence the harmony of the one with the other 178 

Differences of opinion on this subject 179 

Shuckford. — Prideaux. 

Proof of Jewish Intercalations 182 

I. Of Jewish time from the Flood to the Exode ib 

II. At the time of the Exodi 183 



CONTENTS. XI 

III. After the Captivities. — Their first Cycle of eighty-four 
years. — Theii adoption of the Cycle of Meto. — Rabbi Sam- 
uel. — Rabbi Adda. — Rabbi Hillel 187 

But as of the Jewish Ecclesiastical, so of the Civil year. — 
Jubilees 189 

Conclusion 192 

Return to the subject of the golden measurement of time, of the 
seventh day, or sabbatical rest of the Creator 193 

I. First division. Historical chronology. 

1. First period. From creation and fall, to the Deluge. 

2. Second Period. From the Deluge to Abraham. 

3. Third Period. From Abraham to the Exode. 

4. Fourth Period. From the Exode to the death of Saul. 

5. Fifth Period. From the death of Saul, to the commence- 
ment of the Babylonish captivity. 

6. Sixth Period. The captivity. 

7. Seventh Period. The interval between the end of the Baby- 
lonish captivity, and the commencement of the 70 prophetic 
weeks of Daniel. 

Examination of the discrepancies in the chronology of the Sep- 
tuagint, Samaritan, and Hebrew versions, and that of Jose- 

phus 194 

First Period, with tabular view 205 

Second Period, do ib 

i Third Period, do 206 

( Fourth Period, do 

Fifth Period, do 218 

Sixth Period, do ib 

Seve7ith Period, do 219 

Summary 221 

II, Second division. — Prophetic chronology 221 

Of the prophetic numbers, which, with the preceding, as the ag- 
gregate number of years in sacred Historic chronology from 
the creation, make up the 6000 years as the limits set by God 

to the duration of time 222 

Consequences, upon the paradventure of an error in the Historic 

chronology 223 

Mode of measuring time prophetically 224 

Practical uses of prophetic mystical numbers.— " Seven times." 



Xll CONTENTS. 

— Dan. iv., 16.— 1260 years. — Dan. vii. 25, xii. 7.-42 
months. Rev. xi. 2, xiii. 5. — 2300 days of years. Dan. viii. 
14. _ 70 weeks. Dan. ix. 24 — 27. — 1290 and 1335 years of 
Dan. xii. 11, J2.— 1260 days of Rev. xii. 6.-666. Rev. xiii. 
18. — 2300 years. Dan. viii. 14. — Their commencement and 
termination 229 

Four beasts of Dan. vii. — Ram and He-goat of chap. viii. — 
Effect on Daniel. — Offers prayer. — Daniel's solicitude. — 
An Angel explains the 2300 years. — The 2300 years of chap, 
viii. 14, and the 70 weeks or 490 of chap. ix. 24 — 27, have a 
common commencement. — The 70 weeks end with the con- 
version of Cornelius. — Tabular view, &c 240 

The 70 weeks commence A. M. 3679.— The 2300 years end A. 
D. 1847. — Cleansing of the sanctuary. — Second advent. — 
three additional prophetic numbers, viz., the 1260, 1290, and 
1335 years. — Includes the career of the two persecuting pow- 
ers, the Papacy and Mahometanism. — Mark of the Papal 
beast, 666. — Supposed corresponding mark of the Mahome- 
tan power. — Decree of Pope Vitalian, A. D. 666, — Summa- 
ry respecting these two anti-christian powers. — The two 
other anti-christian powers, the Pagan and the Infidel. — 

Conclusion 254 

The date of the commencement of the 1260 years ib 

A. D. 533.— Ends, A. D. 1793 261 

Judgment of " the Ancient of Days " on the Papal beast still 

continues 269 

Summary ib 

LECTURE II. 

"SIGNS OF THE TIMES." 

The subject stated 273 

11 Signs," not a matter of conjecture or mere speculation 274 

Claim of redundant evidence as a condition of belief, consid- 
ered. — Incredulity. — Idle curiosity. — To Prophecy, What 1 

— " Signs," — What 1 279 

" Signs." — Design of. — Source of hesitancy, doubt, and unbe- 
lief in relation to them. — Reply. — Illustration. 

Portentous events preceded by signs 285 



CONTENTS. X1H 

Applied to the First Advent 286 

Evidence from the above of the error which supposes no proph- 
ecy can be understood until fulfilled 289 

" Signs." — Why added to dates 291 

Harmony between prophecy and doctrines. — Uses of. 293 

This a subject of momentous interest. 

D 1 '^ cities, in applying " Signs " to the future 295 

Prophetic symbols defined 297 

Of these there are two classes. — First class. — Their order. — 
Second class. — Embraces two predictions. — Necessity to dis- 
criminate between what " Signs " are symbolical, and what 
are not. 

Literality not excluded from a prophetic symbol 299 

Nor a literal sign from bearing a typical aspect. 

Prophetic signs of Luke xxi. 25, explained ib 

Assignment of, to their relative position in prophecy 304 

An appeal. reflection 311 

I. First sign. The prevalent disinclination of Christian profes- 
sors and others, to think of, or to study the subject of unful- 
filled Scripture prophecy 313 

II. Second Sign. A most melancholy and general decay of vital 
piety 315 

III. Third Sign. An unprecedented prevalence of iniquity. 
Under this sign, we add 19 characteristics, from St. Paul's 
prediction, 2 Tim. iii. 1 — 5 316 

IV. Fourth Sign. The predicted prevalence of scoffers in these 
last times. 

V. Fifth Sign. The universal spread of the gospel among all 
nations. 

VI. Sixth Sign. Indulgence in some of the worst passions of 
our nature, by professing Christians. 

VII. Seventh Sign. The advance of human science, and the 
practical rejection of the presiding wisdom of Revelation. 

VIII. Eighth Sign. The symbolic import of the Sun, Moon, 
and Stars, &c. 

IX. Ninth Sign. The universal determination of the dominant 
nations of Europe to maintain the mutual relations of peace. 

X. Tenth Sign. Wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilen- 
ces, and earthquakes, together with wonders, signs, dec. 



XIV CONTENTS. 

XI. Eleventh Sign. The predicted approaching overthrow of 
the Turkish Empire. 

XII. Twelfth Sign. A prelude to and the immediate precursor 
of, the destruction of the Papal hierarchy. 

XIII. Thirteenth Sign. The present circumstances and expec- 
tations of the Jews. 

XIV. Fourteenth Sign. The evidences of our having entered 
into the 1335 years, proof of the commencement of the sound- 
ing of the Seventh Trumpet. 

XV . Fifteenth Sign. The superabundant light which the Holy 
Spirit has thrown of late on the Prophetic Word. 



PREFACE. 



An apology is due to those through whose solicita- 
tions the following Lectures are published, for the de- 
lay which has attended their appearance. This delay 
has been occasioned, partly by circumstances entirely 
beyond the author's control, and partly from those 
additions to their original form, which the result of 
revision rendered indispensable. 

In conducting our inquiries regarding the Age of 
the World, we have deemed it requisite to fortify the 
basis of our authority (the Scriptures) against the at- 
tacks alike of the Atheist, the Antiquarian, and the 
Infidel ; refuting the alleged eternity of the existence 
of matter and of the globe, of the first — the claims of 
a vastly greater antiquity for the history of the human 
race than that given by Moses, of the second — and 
the denial of the authenticity of the Sacred Records, 
of the third. This part of the volume, contained in 
the "Introductory Essay," will, we trust, be found 
particularly serviceable to those whose minds are wan- 
dering in the wilderness of uncertainty and conjecture 
on these important subjects. 

Nor, in the prosecution of our inquiries into this 
matter, is it a little embarrassing to be brought into 
perpetual collision with the most inveterate prejudices 
on the one hand, and a certain class of existing facts, 



XVI PREFACE. 

claiming affinity with the premises whence follow all 
our deductions on the other. To explain ourselves : 
The popular theology of the day attributes the crea- 
tion and formation of the material universe^ of which 
the globe we inhabit is a part, to the work of six na- 
tural or solar days, of twenty-four hours — and a 
strong suspicion of a tendency to Atheism attaches to 
every suggestion, calculated to disturb opinions which 
have been pillowed upon the lap of centuries. 

This, howgver, to the contrary notwithstanding, — we 
feel bound to pay a respectful deference to facts, or 
what are even claimed to be such. It is asserted, then, 
in opposition to the above, that " if the world was 
really created in six days, we should find some evi- 
dences of it in the aspect of nature. Instead of 
this, we find, in the geognostic structure of the 
earth, the infallible proof of its having existed for 
(many) ages, and undergone many prodigious re- 
volutions, long before the most ancient nations ex- 
isted." These infallible proofs it is claimed, are to be 
found in the physiological and oryctological discove- 
ries of science, " regarding the strata composing the 
outer shell of this globe, and the remains of organized 
bodies which are found in them. It is ascertained 
that these remains do not occur promiscuously, but in 
a determinate order, corresponding exactly with that 
vjhich is given in the first chapter of Genesis." To 
test the validity of this claim, we undertook the task 
of a classification of the Mosaic cosmogony of the 
creation, with the series of strata as given in the geo- 
logical table of Cuvier. The result the reader will 



PREFACE. XV11 

find by turning to pages 70 and 71. " Thus, human 
bones are only found in the uppermost, or very new- 
est, alluvial soil. Further down are found the remains 
of quadrupeds, belonging to a species now extinct ; 
these are mixed with sea shells and marine petrifac- 
tions. At a still lower depth are found the exuviae of 
alligators, and other amphibious animals, of an ap- 
pearance unlike any species that now exist ; for they 
seem to have been deposited while the laws of nature, 
in the animal kingdom, admitted the metempsychosis 
(alluded to in ancient tradition) anterior to the intro- 
duction of death. Deeper still are found immense 
beds of carbonaceous matter, which we know is the 
basis of vegetable substances. Lowest of all are found 
strata of common rocks, containing no petrifactions, 
no traces of carbon. These rocks seem to have been 
formed when the world was covered by an uninhabited 
sea." 

" From all these concurring argumeuts, it is con- 
cluded that the work of creation occupied immeasu- 
rable ages, or ca^vec, j and that the vulgar hypothesis, 
which takes for granted that the earth, from the very 
beginning, spun round on its axis with its present 
amazing velocity, is not only unphilosophical, but ex- 
pressly contrary to the word of God." 

Now, these facts admitted — (and deny them we 
cannot — ) I ask, — of what avail is it to denounce 
their tendency as atheistical, from their supposed con- 
travention of the Mosaic cosmogony ? Is not this a 
premature surrendering up of what may be demon- 
strated of a coincidence of the Scriptural account of 



XV111 PREFACE. 

the creation with the above discoveries of science, to 
the vaunting triumphs of the materialist? We think 
so. And it has been our endeavor, in the sequel of 
the Introductory Essay, and of the first Lecture of 
this volume, to reconcile the claims of the one with 
the history of the other. How far we have been suc- 
cessful, we leave with the candor of the intelligent to 
decide. Nor, (as we have said,) can we relinquish the 
hope, that such may be brought to see the utter impos- 
sibility of harmonizing the Scriptural cosmogony of 
the Creation as an inspired production, with the phy- 
siological discoveries of the structure of our globe, in 
any other way : yea more — that science, as an hand- 
maid to inspiration, by the rays of refraction, as col- 
lected from known existing phenomena in the physi- 
cal construction of the earth, elucidates and confirms 
it. Indeed, science, when made subservient to any 
other end ; in other words, when it is relied on as a 
guide in our search of truth to the exclusion of Reve- 
lation, serves but to furnish evidence of the lamen- 
table defectibility of human reason. On this subject, 
we are furnished with an inspired admonition, — to 
11 avoid profane and vain babblings, and oppositions 
of science, falsely so called, which some professing, 
have erred concerning the faith." x 

Such, in the sequel of this volume, we have con- 
sidered the diluvian theory of Cuvier. Such also the 
theory, that the chaotic mass out of which this earth 
was formed, was produced by the destruction of one 
■ ■ . . . - i i . 1 1 ■ 

1. 1 Tim. vi. 20, 21. 



PREFACE. XIX 

of the previously existing planets, by the shock of 
some comet, as advocated by Basilius, Halley, Hers- 
chel, Vince, Smith, Jennings, Lardner, etc. Finally 
and above all, such the electro-magnetic theory of the 
distinguished author of the late moon hoax, resolving 
" the alternate creation and dissolution of all natural 
bodies to the influence of Terrestrial Magnetism on 
the past, present, and future condition of this world," 
as predicated of the principle, that as " all motion 
must result from two forces" — one to " repel," another 
to " attract ;" — So " the necessary effect," — " the pro- 
duction of a circle," — " The great circle of eternal 
alternations, with the geometrically perfect triangle of 
two forces and one matter within it as an active and 
unerring principle," which is to " revolve forever, with- 
out end as without beginning :" and that there is not 
" a living form in nature which is not produced by 
these forces, from other kinds of matter, as in their 
original process of creation," <fcc. 

Now, with the most profound deference to the su- 
perior scientific attainments of this gentleman, in his 
zealous endeavors to revive in this Christian land the 
thousand-and-one times exploded Atheistic theory of 
Aristotle, alias, the modern Pantheism of Germany, 
we beg to submit, whether he has not overlooked some 
of the simplest and the soundest rudiments of true 
philosophy. Take, for example, the following — 
^Matter is perceived by sense, mind is understood by 
reason ; but mind cannot be perceived, neither can 
matter be understood. Our senses inform us only 
respecting the phenomena of matter ; our reason in- 



XX PREFACE. 

forms us only respecting the phenomena of mind. In 
the universe, our senses perceive nothing but matter ; 
while our understanding assures us that every thing 
most depend upon mind. We cannot perceive the ef- 
ficiency of an intelligent cause, neither can we under- 
stand the efficiency of a physical one. Intelligent ef- 
ficient causation is beyond our senses ; physical effi- 
cient causation is beyond our understanding. Hence 
the opposite doctrines of Berkeley and Hume ; the one 
denying the existence of matter, the other denying the 
existence of mind ; and each supporting his hypothe- 
sis by (apparently) plausible arguments. Of the essence 
of matter, we are as ignorant as we are of the essence 
of mind. We know them only by their properties, 
i. e., their relations or analogies. 

" Accordingly, our knowledge of matter and mind 
is only a knowledge of relations or analogies. But 
these analogies are only parts of one great analogy, 
embracing all possible knowledge. Every subject of 
human thought is connected with an immense scheme, 
which comprehends the natural and moral universe. 
Every object, atom, thought, or idea, the least as well 
as the greatest, are all parts of that scheme — and 
there is nothing absolute but God — nothing, however 
small or insignificant, which can be thoroughly known, 
but by Him who knows the whole. And, for the bene- 
fit of this philosopher we now add, — Hence, " the 
failure of every attempt hitherto made, to detect the 
arrangement or method of nature, in mineralogy, 
botany, zoology, &c. ,J l In all our systems, we proceed 



1. See the works of Linnoeus, &c, 



PREFACE. XXI 

upon the idea of the straight line, ranking the objects 
of oar study one after another, from the beginning to 
the end. But in the method of nature, the straight 
line is blended with the circle and the sphere, so that 
each object depends not merely upon those which pre- 
cede and follow it, but upon those which surround it, 
and the great whole of which it forms a part. And 
it is so arranged, that every part is, as it were, a min- 
iature of the whole. This method of circles within 
circles, " wheels within wheels" (Ezek. i. 16,) is mani- 
festly the true " method of nature" in all her works. 
It is indeed, to human reason inextricable ; 



•" Mazes intricate, 



Eccentric, intervolved, yet regular, 

Then most, when most irregular they seem." 1 

Still, this philosopher finds, "even in the com- 
mencement of the sacred history," that " there is a 
high doctrine of religion intimated in the word Elo- 
him, Gods — designating a plurality in the creative 
power of the universe ! " Shade of Spinoza, what 
meaneth this ! Why, that this " intimated creative 
power of the universe," which he elsewhere conde- 
scends to term " the Divine hand in creation," as " all 
the forms and modifications of matter are the results 
of motion," coincides " with the deductions of philo- 
sophy — two spiritual or immaterial forces," (one to 
" repel," another to " attract,*' and which forms his 
great electro-magnetic circle,) "acting upon ??iatter t 



1. Macnab's Theory, &c; pp. 2, 38. 
B* 



XXII PREFACE. 

appear not only to be absolutely necessary, but to ac- 
tually exist.' 7 Please, reader, while on this subject, 
turn to pages 8, and 38 — 41, of this volume, and see 
what of difference you discover between the above 
ideas of a Supreme, Intelligent, Great First Cause, 
and the Atheism of Spinoza and Aristotle ; and yet, 
our recondite philosopher can accommodate his Pro- 
tean theory to " the great doctrine of the Trinity " — > 
and can see it also beautifully revived (!) and illus- 
trated in the Christian creed of an incarnate princi- 
ple" &c. 

And so, this philosopher also " intimates " his belief 
in "the Scriptures," as "fully unerringly inspired." 
But he has had the sagacity to discover, that " the 
Hindu Scriptures are equally profound upon these 
subjects with the Christian" — that the Mosaic his- 
tory of the serpent, "instead of being a literal account 
of a diabolical miracle, is, in reality, a profound and 
pregnant apologue " — and that " the tree of life is the 
magnetic axis of the earth," while the tree of know- 
ledge of good and evil, is the axis of rotation, &c. 

What others think of this gentleman's theory we 
know not. Doubtless it has its admirers. We pretend 
not to have analyzed its principles minutely. This, 
for want of time and space, we could not do. But it 
is our deliberate opinion, that a more bold, heaven- 
daring, God-dishonoring theory, under the mask of 
Christianity, has never been brought into vogue in 
this or any other Christian country. 

We deem it here of the utmost importance that the 
reader distinguish between the Age of the World Geo- 



PREFACE. XX111 

logically, and the Age of the World Historically. 
Regarding the first, the theory we adopt ascribes to 
the chaotic elements of nature a vast, though limited 
and indefinite existence; and amplifies the "six days" 
into six periods of uniform and definite length. It 
dates the commencement of the second from the Crea- 
tion and Fall of our first parents, and exposes the fal 
lacy of the antiquarian, who, by confounding the geo- 
logical with the historical Age of the World, lays claim 
to a vastly greater antiquity for the history of the hu- 
man race, than that given by Moses. 

That our distribution of periods as above, into inde- 
finite and definite, are generally adopted by geologists, 
we do not pretend. We invite an examination of our 
Scriptural argument in support of the latter. Of the 
Lectures now in course of delivery in this city by 
Professor Lyell, President of the Geological Society of 
London, as reported in the " Tribune," (our engage- 
ments having denied us the pleasure of hearing them,) 
we have discovered nothing to contravene the senti- 
ment as expressed by himself, that man, through the 
aid of this science, is " enabled, by his superior or- 
ganization, to go back and trace the history of his great 
birth-place and residence, the earth, and all it has gone 
through, and what beings lived and died upon it, as he 
finds it engraved on its rocky pages — on the stony tab- 
lets of this interesting book — imperishably engraven on 
the solid frame-work of the earth itself. These laws 
tend not to materialism; they are the expression 
of the supreme will imprinted on matter. These 
laws belong not to material things, but lead us up 



XXIV PREFACE. 

to the contemplation of a great and immaterial LAW 
GIVER ! " 

Finally, the Title-page in its present form, suffi- 
cienly indicates its object. 

That the subject of which it treats is one of absorb- 
ing interest, it is presumed none will deny. Of all 
other subjects however, in the entire range of Theology, 
not one is called to encounter similar prejudices — not 
one less likely to gain universal credence. The diver- 
sified conclusions of the learned in the department of 
sacred historic chronology — the frequent proofs af- 
forded by the lapse of time of errors regarding pro* 
phetical dates — and the denial, consequently, of any 
practical good resulting therefrom, have contributed 
to confirm the general impression, that the disclosure 
of a knowledge of " times and seasons " forms no part 
of the divine purpose, in the dispensations of his provi- 
dence and grace to mankind. 

To a reflecting mind, however, it cannot but appear 
as passing strange, that the Great Disposer of all 
events connected with the affairs of men in this lower 
world, should have furnished no ray of light to 
guide them in these premises. That he has done so 
in various instances, is fully demonstrated in the se- 
quel. True, as it respects the entire period assigned 
to the divinely constituted order of things in the phy- 
sical and moral worlds, it is not pretended that we are 
anywhere furnished with an explicit declaration, 
This, however, it will be found, forms no valid objec- 
tion to the claim as herein set forth, viz, — That God 
in his infinite wisdom has assigned to the present 



PREFACE. XXV 

constitution of things in this world, under three dis- 
pensations. Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian, a 
limited and definite duration ; and that he has im- 
parted a knowledge of the same to his people in his 
word. 

As it respects the differences of the learned in the 
department of sacred historic chronology, while we 
revere great names, we can only admit them as au- 
thoritative in proportion as we are furnished with evi- 
dence of accuracy in their deductions. And we shall 
find ourselves not a little mistaken if a perusal of these 
pages does not result in a thorough conviction, that the 
past errors of the great and good in these premises are 
predicated of the fact, that as to every period is as- 
signed a special purpose in the divine plans of Provi- 
dence and Redemption ; and as to each belongs some 
great and appropriate truth ; so any attempt at a com- 
plete elucidation of it is more than premature, till a 
sufficient maturity of the divine plan should render 
it necessary. Now this, we say, by way of illustra- 
tion, is specially true of "the time of the end/' 
spoken of by Daniel, Chap. xii. 6. All the intervening 
events pour tray ed in his series of chronometrical pro- 
phecies, he was commanded to " close and seal up," 
till that period should arrive. This, however, will 
not apply to the age of the Apostles, — they, interpret- 
ing prophetical time literally, (i. e., a day for a day.) 
being led to expect a very short interval to elapse be- 
tween the two advents ; nor, during the life-time of 
our Redeemer, receiving any definite replies in answer 
to their frequent inquiries respecting this point. 



XXVI PREFACE. 

That additional light, however, was given to the 
Church en this subject previous to the close of the 
New Testament Canon, we think we have fully shown. 
The instructions conveyed to St. John respecting the 
prophecies of his book, was directly opposite to that 
of Daniel. "Seal not the sayings of this book." 1 
The entire contents of the apocalyptic visions, there- 
fore, and which are synchronic with those of Daniel, 
(save the seven apocalyptic thunders of chap. x. 4,) 
are given to us as a key to unlock the Divine purposes 
as well respecting times and seasons, as the nature and 
character of the events themselves ; not that it was 
indispensable that these should be understood, except 
as pointing to crisis. Hence their comparative con- 
cealment till " the time of the end," under certain 
mystic forms, the practical effect of which was, to 
place the Church constantly on the watch-tower, " as 
though the day of Christ was at hand." Now, how- 
ever, having the advantage of historic light in point- 
ing out the coincidence of combined prophetic events 
(as those of Daniel and St. John) with what has ac- 
tually transpired, there can, we think, remain but 
but little, if any doubt, as to the point of time upon 
which we now stand, in the successive evolutions of 
God's dispensations to man. 

Of the abuses of this subject, by the fanatical, we 
have treated at large in the sequel. 

The corroboration of the present " Signs of the 
Times," as brought to view in the second Lecture, 

1. Rev. xxii. 10. 



PREFACE. XXV11 

with the deductions of chronology, will, we trust, re- 
ceive the serious and attentive perusal of all. They 
show that " the end of all things is at hand." 1 

Copious references to authorities in this compilation 
are given ; nor will it, we trust, be found to derogate 
from the merits of our work, that we have been com- 
peted, in some instances, to quote second-hand. 

It will be a sufficient apology for our use of empha- 
tic words, to state that we have written for the benefit 

of ALL. 

We, in conclusion, commit these pages " to God, 
and to the word of his grace," which alone are able 
" to present you faultless before the presence of his 
glory, with exceeding joy." 



R. C. SHIMEALL, 



New- York, April, 1842. 



1. Pet. iy. 7. 



TO THE READER. 



We respectfully request the special attention of the 
reader to the Preface of this volume. Our manu- 
script was completed, and nearly printed off, when our 
attention was called to a series of Lectures on the 
subjects of Geology, Terrestrial Magnetism, &c. ; the 
tendency of which, in the view of many, was decidedly 
derogatory to the interests of our venerable and holy 
religion. To satisfy ourselves on this point, so far as 
they are available to us up to this date, and the limits 
of our Preface would allow, we have examined them. 
The result is before you. A perusal of the volume 
however will furnish additional data on these points, 
which you will be enabled to apply at your leisure. 

This volume enters upon and canvasses every 
question at all connected with the all-exciting and 
frequently agitated subject of scripture chro- 
nology, Historic and Prophetic. The conclusion to 
which it conducts the reader, (in opposition to that of 
a cotemporary writer, Mr. Wm. Miller, who makes 
A. D. 1843 as the termination of the 6000th year of 
the world,) is, that it places the great day of crisis at 
1847, and the end of the 6000th year, at 1868. 

<r Blessed is he that readeth." 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, &c. 



SECTION I. 



The subject matter of the first of the two follow- 
ing Lectures, presents to our view the events evolved 
in " the course of time 7 of full six thousand years ! 
It treats of The age of the worlds as educed from the 
Chronological Records of Scripture, Historic and 
Prophetic, from the creation and fall of ma?i, to the 
final consummation of all things. 

The work it assigns us, is an arduous one. " Lord, 
who is sufficient for these things ! " l " Our suffi- 
ciency is of God." 2 

In the treatment of this subject, the intelligent rea- 
der will not fail to perceive, that while the believer in 
a Divine Revelation, from a conviction of its tran- 
scendant claims, stands ready, in the meekness of 
child-like docility, to yield his assent to its deductions 
upon the ground of its admitted inspiration, in pro- 
portion to the measure of evidence of their consistency 
therewith; others there are, who repudiate our deduc- 
tions, by a denial of any claims to their regard or 
belief, of the authority or foundation upon which 
they rest. Hence the following Introductory Essay. 



1. 2 Cor. ii. 16. 2. 2 Cor. iii. 5, 



4, INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

Of those who impugn the authority of Scripture in 
these premises, there are three classes — the Atheist, 
the Antiquarian, and the Sceptic. 

Says the Atheist, " matter is eternal — i. e. it is self- 
derived, self-productive, self-preservative. The vari- 
ous forms which it has assumed, are without begin- 
ning, without end. Hence, the material universe, of 
which our globe is a part, is eternal. 

Says the Antiquarian, remote authentic antiquity 
ascribes a vastly greater age to this globe, than that 
set forth by the inspired historian, Moses. 

Says the Infidel, even if you demonstrate the present 
age of the world from the historic and prophetic parts 
of Scripture, yet I reject both their inspiration and 
authenticity. 

To these, we may add a fourth class, who, though 
they admit the inspiration and authenticity of holy 
Scripture, and are enrolled among the number of those 
" who profess and call themselves Christians," yet are 
shocked at the presumption of him who would venture 
to arrive, even at a tolerable degree of certainty, as to 
the point of time, in round numbers, upon which we 
now stand, in the successive evolutions of God's dis- 
pensations to man. 

Now, true, we might enter upon our subject, and 
dash on, "in medias res," to the entire satisfaction, 
and, perhaps, edification of the reader : we might leave 
the three first above named systems, and their deluded 
votaries to perish together in unbelief : and, we might 
also leave the fourth class to an undisturbed indul- 
gence of their present state of imaginary security, till. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



in pomp and majesty ineffable," 



^the Lord of life and glory" descends "in an hour 
when they think not" l to consummate his double 
work of destruction, of the last great anti-Christian or 
infidel confederacy, (which confederacy, as we believe, 
is destined soon to swallow up, root and branch, every 
vestige of a merely nominal Christianity,) and to 
throw open wide the portals of the newly established 
" kingdom of heaven to all believers," 2 leaving them 
" without," to lift up their voices in the now unavail- 
ing cry of " Lord. Lord, open unto us ! " 3 

But "we have not so learned Christ." "What," I 
would ask, " have we, that we have not received ? " 
" Who," I would ask, " maketh us to differ ? " What 
can we,„ what would we say, but this, " by the grace 
of God r I am what I am? O then, let us offer to 
the Most High a cheerful sacrifice of responsive obe- 
dience to the command, "freely ye have received, 
freely give? 4 

"According" then, "to the ability which God 
giveth," 5 under the present diversified administrations 
of the Spirit, 6 and with the sentiments and feelings, 
as we trust, rather of forbearance and compassion, 
than of reckless denunciation of any, even the most 
erring, we proceed to assume, as our first proposition, 
the following, viz : — 



1. Matt. xxiv. 44. 

2. Book of Com. Pr. Te Deum Laud. 

3. Matt. xxv. 11. 4. Matt. x. 8. 

5, 1 Pet. iv. 11. 6. 1 Cor. xii. 4, 6, 28, 



4 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

I. That the material universe, op which 

OUR GLOBE FORMS A PART, IS NOT ETERNAL CON- 
SEQUENTLY, OUR GLOBE, OR THE WORLD WHICH WE 
INHABIT, IS NOT ETERNAL. 

On entering upon a refutation of the principle, an- 
tagonistic to the proposition here assumed, we must 
premise, that we have to contend, as well with a 
species of what we shall call Christianized Atheism, 
as with Atheism in its more undisguised form. 

In the department of professedly Christian com- 
mentators, there are those, who, though they acknow- 
ledge the existence of an intelligent, great first cause, 
yet assert that the world is eternal. Of these, the 
learned Grotius and Vatabulus are the principal. In 
the place of Gen. i. 1, (as in the English version,) 
they substitute the following : " Before God created 
the heavens and the earth, every thing was contained 
in the chaos." Hence, (as I suppose we must agree,) 
as the chaos was not the thing spoken of in the act of 
creation, it must have been eternal : therefore, the 
heavens and the earth, as contained in it, must be 
eternal. The above inference is as specious, as the 
rendering upon which it is based, is false. The 
second verse of the chapter refutes the whole theory, 
the thing created being the unformed heavens and 
earth in their chaotic state. They were u without 
form, and void" 1 the aogarog (aoratos) of the LXX, 
and the inanis et vacua of the vulgate. The pri- 
mordial elements for the construction of the material 

1. Gen, i. 1, 2, 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 5 

earth and 1 heavens, must have had an immediate origi- 
nal constitution — a genesis : and the production of 
this basis, or embryo, is what must be understood as 
the obvious and real intimation of the first verse of 
Genesis : it : was the first production of the first 
principia — the very creation itself — the producing 
of the primitive matter of the future constituents 
of the universe — in other words, "the substance of 
the heavens, and the substance of the earth." l With 
this agrees the original term ^D bara : which signi- 
fies, "He created — caused to exist, spring forth — as 
the world, from nothing." 2 Parkhurst's rendering is, 
a rp crea f e ; produce into being." Hence, " in the 
beginning the Ale-im created the heavens and the 
earth." And then adds he, "this cannot relate to 
form^ because, as it follows in; v. 2, 'the earth/ (i. e. 
that which was created in the beginning,) ' was vnth- 
out form,' or in loose atoms." With these renderings 
agree also the ktI'qew (ktidzein) from *t/£w (ktidzo) 
of the lxx. which signifies, " to build- raise up from 
the foundation, to create, form, fashion, appoint, con* 
stitute, to cause to exist, that which had no existence." 3 
If more than this be implied in the above term, " be- 
fore" we then ask, did the universe exist before exis- 
tence itself? Did it exist anterior to the primordial 
elements of which it is constructed? The theory 
carries with it' its own refutation. 

This theory however, claims chiefly for its support, 



L Parkhurst. 2. Roy's Heb. and Eng. Diet. p. 107. 

3. Roy's Heb. and Eng. Diet. p. 107. 
1* 



O INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

that remarkable saying of the wisest of princes, l " The 
thing which hath been, is that which shall be, and 
that which is done, is that which shall be done, and 
there is no new thing under the sun. Is there any 
thing whereof it may be said, see, this is new ? It 
hath been already of old time which was before us. 
There is no remembrance of former things, neither 
shall there be any remembrance of things that are to 
come : with those that shall come after" This passage 
the above commentators consider as decisive, in proof 
of the eternity of this world, past and future. Strange ! 
It will require but a cursory inspection of the passage 
to betray their sense of the paucity of scripture evi- 
dence to uphold a defenceless theory. Take the follow- 
ing in illustration: — Of every individual component 
of the world, it may be asked, " as of a new-bom in- 
fant, for instance, — is this new ? and the answer 
would be, " it hath been already of old-time, which 
was before us." That is, it is not, strictly speaking, a 
thing which hath not been before, — it is merely a 
subject of succession, — a repitition of that which hath 
been ; nothing variant in its characteristic nature from 
its precedent. So also, the chemist, who, though he 
should produce a new compound, new, that is, in its 
compounded state, yet it cannot be strictly called new, 
because all its various and several components, either 
primarily, or secondarily, existed before" 

The passage is to be viewed rather as a splendid 
eulogy upon that wisdom with which the author of it 
was endowed. He meant to assert that no rival in 
the intellectual field should exceed his knowledge of 

1. Ecd. i. 9— U. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 7 

the ways and works of God. As though he had said, 
1 Lo, / have seen all things under the sun, and the 
course of nature is such as will not produce any thing 
which I have not acquainted myself with, it having 
already existed : ' not from eternity, but " of old 
time ; " he then living about the three thousandth 
year of the world ; and this too, for the express pur- 
pose of setting before the minds of future generations, 
an open declaration of the fallacy of all sublunary 
things : for, high as he had extolled his wisdom, he 

adds, " ALL IS VANITY AND VEXATION OF SPIRIT. n 

Neither the world, then, which we inhabit, nor yet 
the chaos out of which it was formed, is eternal ; the 
chaos being the very thing set forth by Moses as cre- 
ated " in the beginning? 

We come now to remark, that arguments professed- 
ly adduced from scripture, to prove the eternity of the 
world, it is sufficient to refute by scripture. Polyth- 
eistic and other, the like systems of Atheism, howev- 
er, require a different mode of treatment. Its advocates 
respectable, both in number and intellect, have em- 
braced some of the master-spirits of every age. The 
Aristotelian philosophy, besides including consid- 
erable numbers of Jews and Mahomedans, enrolls 
among its champions the names of Averroes, Avicenna, 
Alfaraba, and others. Their respective systems (if 
systems they may be called) taught, that the material 
earth and heavens were the products of a blind cas- 
ualty — • a fortuitous concourse of confusedly agitated 
atoms, that sprang from matter which was eternal 

We cannot now detain you by a comparison of the 



8 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

atheism of Aristotle, with that of the more modern 
Spinoza. Suffice it now to say,. that it was reserved 
for him to strip previously existing systems of their 
more repulsive forms, by investing it which a new 
garb. His system is as follows : — " There is a God; 
but this God is only the Universality or assemblage of 
creatures : that every thing is a modification of God ; 
that the sun is God, as giving light : that aliments 
are God; as affording nourishment: and so of the 
rest. For this system however,. Spinoza was indebted 
for the most part to the ancient pagan superstitions. 
One, for instance, struck with the beauty of the stars, 
said that the stars were God. Another, astonished at 
the splendor of the sun, said that the sun was God. 
Democritus, surprised at the beauty of fire, said that 
God was a material fire. Chrysippus, amazed at the 
beauty of that necessity which causeth every thing to 
answer its destination, said, that God was fate. Perr 
menides, affected with the beautiful expanse of heaven 
and earth, said, that God was that expanse — and the 
pagan Demonax (the Grecian philosopher) was once 
asked to go to the temple of iEsculapius, to supplicate 
the deity there to restore a sick child to health. 
" What, " replied Demonax, "do you imagine that God 
is so very deaf, that he can : hear; you, no where else 
but in the temple ? " 

But, there is one defect about this god of Spinoza.. 
He is destitute of reason^ of intelligence. What — 
light, or aliments, or the stars, or the sun ? or fire, 
or fate, capable of thought ? Upon this point, even 
the most sceptical will not venture a dispute. The 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. V 

whole universe of created being, inanimate and 
animate, is constituted of the essence of matter, or of 
spirit, or of both. By spirit, we mean mind, intellect, 
soul. That both these essences are common to all 
parts of the created universe, or even to all parts of 
animated nature, is not pretended ; the brutes which 
perish, in common with man, partaking of a visible 
body and animal life. Tf peculiar however to any 
one portion of it, we are furnished with a demonstra- 
tion of the existence of both. This, then, we assert, 
is true of man. That man is a complex being, we 
thus demonstrate. — He has a visible body, materia], 
and, of itself, destructible. Of this, we have the evi- 
dence of the senses, which is tangible, irrefragable. 
But this visible body in man, is endowed with the 
powers of motion, which, for the purpose of distinction 
we shall call the animal life : and which constitutes the 
connecting link between the visible body, and the 
rational spirit, mind, intellect, soul. This animal life 
in man, whatever it be, is doubtless, like his body, 
composed of matter, though refined and attenuated to 
its utmost degree ; and, consequently, invisible to the 
eye. Then, upon the same principle that chaloric, or 
heat, is a material substance, and, though not visible 
or tangible, is still possessed of the powers of expan- 
sion, emission of light, chemical decomposition, and 
the like ; the inference is drawn, that life is a refined, 
active substance, subject to the laws of matter, and 
possessing some properties in common with electri- 
city, chaloric, light, &c, but yet differing from every 
other modification of matter ; and that, as a conse- 



10 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

quence, it is equally liable to decomposition. With 
the rational spirit, mind, intellect, soul, of man, how- 
ever, it is otherwise. This property or essence in man, 
though not palpable to the senses ;: i. e., though it can 
neither be seen, felt, heard, smelt, or tasted ; yet, from 
its analogy to some substances strictly material, 
though not existing in the same degree, it is with 
equal certainty known to exist. "It is agreed, for 
instance, that a man may feel the violence of heah 
and yet not see the principle which communicates it 
in palpable abstraction before him. " The wind bloweth 
where it listeth, and we hear the sound thereof," bi\t. 
its subtle elements remain invisible to the eye, 
"And though it may here be objected, that the evi- 
dence of its existence is derived from a similar source 
with that which demonstrates the existence of animal 
life in man, and that consequently it can differ in no 
respect from it ; and that, as that is material and 
destructible, so is this : we answer, — that the differ- 
ence between them is to be sought^ not in the ana- 
logical evidence of their mere existence, but in their 
respective attributes. These demonstrate, that they 
differ, essentially, in their nature. The rational 
spirit in man is known for instance to possess the 
faculties of reason, judgment, the will, the affections, 
conscience, memory, and the imagination, of all of 
which the mere animal life in man, and which we 
admit the lower orders of animal nature inherits in 
common with him,, is totally destitute. This differ- 
ence constitutes the basis of man's superiority to the 
brute. Animal life, being material, isdestructible. The 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 11 

rational soul, being spiritual, is indestructible — not of 
itself — not that it possesses essential immortality : 
no, in this sense, the eternal Jehovah alone, who 
is the fountain of all existence, is immortal. All that 
is here intended is, that when the Almighty formed 
the rational spirit in man, his will ordained that it 
should be, imperishable, immortal. 

But, as it may be thought that we are anticipating 
an important conclusion, which ought rather to be 
proved, than taken for granted, we recall your atten- 
tion more particularly to a further consideration of the 
qualities and attributes peculiar to matter. — Matter, 
we have said, in the abstract, is destitute of intelligence ; 
it cannot beget thought. Whatever form matter may 
assume — however refined or attenuated matter may 
become — you may make it vast or luminous, opaque 
or transparent, yet will you never, by all your combi- 
nations, advance one single step towards producing 
among -the mighty mass, one spark of latent feeling, 
or one act of thought. 

In meeting the atheistic principle therefore, which 
asserts that the world which we inhabit is self- 
derived, and consequently eternal, what is the pro- 
vince of right reason ? It is to argue thus — c I exist ' 
— This is self-evident. l I am not the author of my 
existence.' This is also self-evident. l I, therefore, 
must be a created being.' This, also. Hence I argue 
as follows : That being to whom I owe my exis- 
tence, derives his from himself, or, like me, owes it to 
another. If he exist of himself, he must be the 
eternal God. If not, I argue about him, as about 



12 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

the former. Thus I ascend, thus I am constrained to 
ascend, till I arrive at that being who does exist of 
himself and who hath alio ays so existed* 

It only remains that I now transfer this species of 
reasoning from myself as a creature, to the world 
which I inhabit. My first remark under this cate- 
gory is, that the creation of this material world, 
argues design ; design argues intelligence. That / 
am an intelligent being, is as self-evident as that I 
exist. Now, whence this intelligence? Whence is 
it, that I am endowed with the faculties of reason, 
judgment, the will, conscience, memory, and the 
imagination ? Then, too, I ask, which is the nobler 
endowment ? The material, or the rational ? And 
if the rational, and, if matter, of itself, could not 
give existence to the former, how, to the latter ? 

By the same process of reasoning, therefore, as 



* " Absolute eternity is necessary in the divine nature, and un- 
avoidably included in the idea of God: He is " from everlasting 
to everlasting." If there had been a point of duration, wherein 
there had been no being, there never could have been any being. 
For how could there have been any thing, if once there had been 
nothing 7 Could nothing have made any thing, when even God 
could not make himself? The Christians creed is, " I believe in 
God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth." The 
Atheist's creed is, " I believe in nothing, the origin of all things." 
Which do you think is most philosophical?" (Dr. Grosvenor.) 

" The late Dr. Nisbet, celebrated for his profound erudition and 
ready wit, being asked, how he would define modern philosophy, — 
replied, that " it consists in believing every thing but the truth, and 
exactly in proportion to the want of evidence ; or, to use the words 
of a poet, ' in making windows that shut out the light, and passages 
that lead to nothing.' " 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 13 

adopted under the former argument, I am irresistibly 
led from myself and nature up to natures God, and 
discover in Him, supreme, infinite-, eternal intelli- 
gence. And, as such, he is not, upon the atheistic 
hypothesis of Spinoza, diffused, so to speak, through 
the various parts of the universe ; but, that " he pos- 
sesseth all the perfections of that universe." Yes, 
"he is the beauty of the stars, the brightness of the 
sun, the subtlety of etherial matter, the expanse of 
heaven, and the law of fate." And, " if among these 
qualities there be any incompatible with the purity of 
his essence, and therefore inapplicable to him, yet in 
this sense they belong to him -*-* all are subject to his 
empire, and act only by his wilL" 

Yes, it was by this self-existent, infinitely intellv 
gent , Eternal, great first cause of all, even he who 
is "wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working," 1 
that "the heavens were made, and all the host of 
them by the breath (spirit) of his mouth." 2 " In {not 
before) the beginning, God CREATED the 
heavens and the earth." 3 Yes, " He gathered 
the waters of the sea together, as an heap ; He layeth 
up the deep as in store-houses." 4 " Of old hath He 
laid the foundations of the earth." 5 " In the heavens 
hath He set a tabernacle for the sun" 6 " He hath 
appointed the moon for seasons." 7 and " maketh 
Arcturus, Orion and Pleiades, and the chambers of 



1. Isa. xxviii. £9. 2. Ps. xxxiii. 6. 

3. Gen. i. 1. 4. Ps. xxxiii. 7. 

5. Ps. cii. 25. 6. Ps. xix. 1 

7. Ps. civ. 19, 

2 



14 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

the south." l " He hath created the north and the 
south." 2 He maketh " the weight for the winds," 3 
•■'and bringeth them out of his treasures." 4 "He 
tovereth the heavens with clouds" 5 "and bindeth 
up the waters with his thick clouds." 6 " He made a 
decree for the rain, and a way for the lightning of the 
thunder ; " 7 " and causeth the vapors to ascend from 
the ends of the earth." 8 u The day is his, and the 
night also ; he hath set all the borders of the earth : 
he has made summer and winter" 9 It was by the 
Word of his mouth that "the waters were com- 
manded to bring forth abundantly the moving 
creature that hath life," 10 in which " is that leviathan 
he hath made to play therein; " n also, that " the air 
was filled with fowl that fly above the earth, in the 
open firmament of heaven." 12 And, that " the earth 
should bring forth the living creature after his kind, 
cattle, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, 
after his kind ; " among which are " Behemoth, which 
eateth grass as an ox." 13 By the same word of his 
power, for the sustenance of animal life, he said, 
" let the earth bring forth grass, and the herb, yield- 
ing seed after his kind, and the tree, yielding fruit, 
whose seed is in itself, after his kind." u He also 



1. Job. ix. 9. 2. Ps. lxxxix. 12. 

3. Job. xxviii. 25. 4. Ps. cxxxv. 7. 

5. Ps. cxlvii. 8. 6. Job. xxv\ 8. 

7. Job. xxviii. 26. 8. Jer. x. 13. 

9. Ps. lxxiv. 16, 17. 10. Gen. i. 20. 

11. Ps. civ. 26. 12. Gen. i. 20, 21. 
13. Gen. i.24 ; 25. Job. xl. 15. 14. Gen. i. 11, 12. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 15 

made " the flower of the field," l and " his voice dis- 
covered the forest" 2 Finally, God created Man, in 
his own image &c. 3 

Thus, Christian believer, is it, that our God hath 
"founded the earth upon the seas, and established 
it upon the floods ; " 4 yea, that " hangeth the earth 
upon nothing;" 5 while he, as the great creator of 
all, "rideth in his excellency on the sky." 6 
" It was a celebrated saying of Tertullian, that every 
mechanic among Christians knew God, and could 
make him known to others. Tertullian thus spoke, 
by way of contrast to the conduct of the philosopher, 
Thales, tOAvards Crossus the king. Croesus asked 
this philosopher, " what is God ? " Thales required 
one day to furnish an answer. Croesus, receiving no 
answer, asked him again, " what is God ? " Thales 
then asked for two days. Failing still to furnish a 
reply, he asked for four days, then for eight, then for 
sixteen ; until the king, " impatient of further delay, 
desired to know the reason of it. : king, said 
Thales, be not astonished that I defer my answer. 
It is a question in which my insufficient reason is 
lost. The oftener I ask myself, what is God ? the 
more incapable I find myself of answering. New 
difficulties arise every moment, and my knowledge 
diminisheth as my inquiries increase. " 

" Tertullian hereupon takes an occasion to triumph 



1. Isa. xl. G. 2. Ps. xxix. 9. 

3. Ge». i. 2C>. 4. Ps. xxiv. 0. 

5. Job. xxvi. 7. G. Deut. xxxiii. 26. 



16 INTRODUCTIOY ESSAY. 

over the philosophers of paganism, and to make an 
euology on Christianity. Thales, the Chief of the 
wise men of Greece ; Thales, who hath added the eru- 
dition of Egypt to the wisdom of Greece ; Thales can- 
not inform the king what God is ! The meanest 
Christian " says he, " knows more than this" " The 
things of God knoweth no man/' only as revealed by 
« the Spirit of God-" 1 

Nor can I illustrate this point mare pertinently and 
forcibly, than by calling in the aid of the following in- 
cident. " Collins, the Free-thinker ^ met a plain coun- 
tryman going to church. He asked him, ' where are 
you going ? ' ' To church Sir.' l What to do there ? ' 
' To worship God. ' ; Pray, whether is your God a 
great or a little God ? J ' He is both, Sir. ' 'How can 
he be both? J 'He is so great, Sir, that the heaven of 
heavens cannot contain him ; and so little,, that he 
can dwell in my heart.' " 

In conclusion, therefore, on this part of our subject, 
we deny the eternity as claimed by atheists, either for 
the universe, as a whole,, or for our globe, in particular. 
And that intelligent being, who will withold the honor 
and glory due to the Eternal God, by a denial that He 
created all, and that He preserves and governs all, and 
that He will continue so to do, to the times of the Resti- 
tution of all things," 2 

"- : — is mad, 

Insane most greviously, 

And most insane because he knours it not." 

Pollok. 

1. Corinthian iii. 11. 2. Acts iii. 21. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 17 

And, to all, we say, in the language of God to Job, 
" Where was thou, when I laid the foundation of the 
earth ? Who hath laid the measures thereof or who 
hath streched the lines upon it ? Whereupon are the 
foundations thereof fastened, or who laid the corner 
stone thereof 7 When all the morning stars sang 
together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy ? n 

SECTION II. 

Thus much £or Atheism, whether Christianized, or 
undisguised. Turn we now to another class of Theo- 
rists, who, though they admit both the eternal exis- 
tance of the Great-first-cause which we call God, and 
the work of creating this stupendous universe which 
we ascribe to him, yet demur, as to the period of time 
which we claim to have elapsed since the creation of 
man, according to the Cosmogony of Moses ; and this, 
in two ways, — 

I. By claiming, that remote authentic anti- 
quity ASCRIBES A VASTLY GREATER AGE TO THIS 
GLOBE, THAN THAT SET FORTH BY THE INSPIRED 

writings. Here, it would, at first view, seem most 
befitting that we determine, in round numbers, what 
is the present age of the world, as given in the sacred 
writings. But, it will equally serve our purpose in 
this part of the discussion, to assume any period this 
side of eight thousand years. This premised, we pro- 
ceed to observe, that the ancient Cabalas of the Hin- 
doos, Egyptians, Chinese, Persians, Etruscans, && 
2* 



IS INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

the last of whom, according to Herodotus, 1 colonized 
Asia minor from Lydia, assigned to the created uni- 
verse, both prior and subsequent to the existance of the 
human species, periods of stupendous length. Of the 
extant records of antiquity j those of the sacred law of 
the Hindoos are the oldest ; and*, whether authentic or 
fabulous, it serves to furnish us with a. nucleus to the 
notions prevalent among them in regard to the periods 
of time, both of energy and repose of the Great Crea- 
tor^ in giving existance to this universe. 

These they divide into a day and a night, both of 
which are of such vast duration as almost to defy the 
power of numbers. 2 

In Syncellus' account of an old Egyptian Chrono- 
grapheon, (which by the way is very imperfect, 3 ) after 
assigning an eternity of Existance to Vulcan, it claims 
a period of time for the reign of the kings of Egypt 
from Sol the son of Vulcan^ to the thirtieth Tanite 
dynasty, of about forty thousand years. 4 

Similar remote antiquity has been ascribed to the 
Chinese records, but without foundation. 5 

The Persian accounts of their antiquity and learn- 
ing would carry us back to a period^ many thousands 
of years anterior to the date above assumed. 6 

Similar to the above are the accounts of the. Etrus- 



1. Herods Hist, Lib. I; §- 94. 

9-. Instil, of Mense, Chap. j. § 64—80. 

3; Shuckfords Connections. Vol., IIJ. p., 149, 160. 

4. Ibid, p., 129. 

5. Shuck. Con. vol., I. p., 48: 

6. Faber. Orig., of Pag., Idol. b. I, Zend, arest. vol., iii. Hyde de 
ler. ret. Pers., p., 161, 1,6% 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 19 

cans. l And, according to Sir- Isaac Newton, Diodorus 
Siculus relates, 2 " that when Alexander the great was 
in Asia, the Chaldeans reckoned four hundred and 
seventy three thousand years, since they first began to 
observe the stars." 

Now, says the antiquarian, (not all antiquarians. — - 
for many, in their researches into the regions of remote 
antiquity^ have come to a directly contrary conclusion,) 
the above accounts, Hindoo, Egyptian, Chinese, Per- 
sian, and Etruscan, founded, as they doubtless are, on 
authentic data, and claiming, as they do, such a 
vastfy greater antiquity to the origin of the world than 
that claimed by* Moses and the rest of the sacred wri- 
ters ■;• and, as it is impossible to harmonize the latter 
with the former, it follows, that the Chronology of the 
Bible must be, fabulous* 

Now, in meeting this difficulty, (to many minds, in- 
superable,) we observe, first, that we admit the above 
accounts, as matters of historical record. With the 
antiquarian however, we claim the right to. demurs 
To his inference, as predicated of the -above accounts 
as matters of historical record, we do demur; yea, 
more : We deny, that it is founded in truth. And, as 
a test to the merits of our denial of the above inferance^ 
we shall at once proceed' to a refutation of all claims 
to a greater antiquity for the origin and duration of 
this earth, whether Hindoo, Egyptian, Chinese, or 
other, than that given in the inspired volume, by estab- 
lishing an antecedent antiquity in behalf of tha 
Sacred writings. 

1*. Suid. Lex. 2. Lib. ii., p. 83. Newton's Chron., p. C63, 



20 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

That such a result is attainable, will appear from a 
comparison of the antiquity of profane, with the an- 
tiquity of the sacred writings, as based upon their 
interNxIl evidence. 

To proceed. Besides the sources of remote profane 
history, denominated Post-diluvian, there are some 
scanty fragments which bear a date anterior to the 
flood : of which, the records of the Egyptian Thyoth 
and Sanchoniathon of Berytus, form exclusively the 
basis. 1 The most rigid perspicuity originally formed 
the principal characteristic in their style of writing. 
Philo Biblius furnishes us with the following as a 
specimen. " When Saturnus went to the South, he 
made Taautus king of all Egypt, and the Cabiri made 
memoirs of these transactions." 2 

Now, of these, and the like records of ante-diluvian an- 
tiquity, we remark, first, that, in their iincorrapted state, 
they u left accounts very agreeable to that of Moses ;" 3 
furnishing collateral evidence at least, that the facts 
of their history were based upon the oral traditions 
of the ante-diluvian patriarchs, with which the history 
of Moses abounds. To illustrate this point, take the 
above passage of Philo Biblius, and see how naturally 
it may be interwoven with that of the Sacred writings. 
" When Saturnus " (who was probably the Mizraim 
of the Scriptures) w went to the South" (or removed 
from the lower Egypt into Thebais,) " he made Taau- 
tus king of all Egypt; and the Cabiri" (who were 
the sons of Mizraim,) u made memoirs of these tran- 
sactions." 4 



1. Shuck, con. vol. i. p. 13. 2. Ibid. 

3. Ibid, p. 15. 4. Shuck, con. vol. i. p. 13. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 21 

Of ante-diluvian profane learning, there are no 
monumental guides upon which, in our inquiries, we 
can place any reliance. The pillars of Seth, and the 
Book of Enoch, though supported, the first by Jo- 
sephus, and the second by Tertullian, and some other 
fathers, yet seem to have had no existence in fact. 1 
And even remote post-diluvian history, presents to 
view a soil of scarcely less sterility. For, though Dio- 
dorus assures us that his account of the Assyrian Anti- 
quities is taken from Ctesias, whose records were based 
upon the Persian Chronicles, there can be but little 
doubt that what he represents as true of the ancient As- 
syrian Empire, is after all no more than what he knew 
to be true of the Persian. 2 As Mr. Shuckford justly 
remarks, those writers seem to have been possessed of 
" a romantic humor of magnifying ancient facts, build- 
ings, wars, armies, and kingdoms." In illustration of 
this point we have but to compare the account given 
of the age of the ante-diluvian kings of Berosus, with 
the acknowledged longevity of the patriarchs as fur- 
nished by Moses. This writer computes each year of 
the Chaldean kings by a u Sarus* each of which is 
equal to six hundred and three years ; and thus he 
makes them to have lived some "ten, twelve, thirteen, 
and eighteen Sari, the last of which life amounted to 
ten thousand, eight hundred and fifty four years." 3 

Similar to the above are the extravagant accounts of 
Diodorus and others, who, in after ages, " represent 

1. Shuck, con. p. 54, 55. 2. Shuck, con. vol. ii. p. 45, 40. 
3. Shuck, con. vol. i. p. 16. 



22 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

the armies of Semiramis, and her buildings at Babylon, 
more numerous and magnificent than can be conceived 
by any one who considers the infant state kingdoms 
were in when she reigned;" a correct view of which 
may be gathered from the circumstance of Abraham's 
overthrow of " Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, Tidal, 
king of nations, Amraphel, king of Shinar, and 
Arioch, king of Ellasar, " for the capture of his 
nephew Lot, with no other force but his three hund- 
red and eighteen armed servants ! l 

We next observe, that these ancient records, origi- 
nally simple and concise, soon became perverted by the 
embellishments of false learning; of whom, Surmu- 
belus and Thuero, with the son of Thabio, were the 
chief instruments : the latter of these, as one of the 
first interpreters of the Sacra of the Phoenicians, by 
his comments filled them with allegory ', and incorpo- 
rated with them "his physiological philosophy, and 
so left them to the priests, and they to their successors. 
With these additions and mixtures they came into the 
hands of the Greeks, who were men of an abounding 
fancy, and who, by new applications, and by increas- 
ing the number and extravagances of the fable, did in 
time leave but little appearance of truth in them." 

The same remark is applicable to the writings of 
Sanchoniathon of Berytus, who, we are told, " wrote 
his history of the Jewish antiquities with the greatest 
care and fidelity, having received his facts from Hie- 
rombalus, a priest, and, having a mind to write a uni- 



1. Gen. xi7 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 23 

versal history of all nations from the beginning, he 
took the greatest pains in searching the records of 
Taautus," or Thyoth. "But the priests who lived 
after him, adding their comments and explications to his 
work, in some time brought all back to mythology 
again." l 

Profane post-diluvian history claims Herodotus as 
the first chronicler of its events. He was followed by 
Xenophon. Then Ctesias the Cnidian, physician to 
Artaxerxes Mnemon, king of Persia. As evidence of 
the ancient learning of the Indians, Clemens Alexan- 
drinus quotes the authority of Megasthenes. All the 
remains of it now extant, however, are to be found in 
the writings of Confucius. And, though fragments of 
the most ancient Phoenician, Egyptian, and Grecian 
writers have been transmitted to us, yet the original 
works, and particularly those of the two former na- 
tions, have perished. 

Upon the history of Herodotus, little, if any, reliance 
can be placed. As himself seems to insinuate, (Lib. i. 
c. 95,) he wrote from hearsay only. In this respect 
at least, Ctesias had the advantage over him, in that 
he examined the royal records of Persia for historical 
data, the existence of which records is recognized in 
the sacred writings. (Ezra iv. 15; Esth. vi. 1.) 
And, whatever of fable may be attributed to his writ- 
ings by Aristotle, Antigonus, Caristheus, Plutarch, 
Arrian, and Photius, no valid objection can be urged 
against his catalogue of the kings who reigned between 

1. 1 Shuck, con. vol. i. p. 13, 14. 



24 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY-. 

the first Assyrian king-, Nimrod) and Nabonassar ; for, 
besides the Scriptural evidence of such an interval, 
Ctesias 5 Catalogue is received as authentic by Diodo- 
rus Siculus, by Cephalon, and Castor, by Trogus Pom- 
peius, Valleius Patercules, and afterwards by Africa- 
nus, Eusebius, and Syncellus, all of which is corrobo- 
rated by the observations of CallistheneS) that the As- 
syrians were promoters of learning daring that whole 
period. l 

It may here be of service to the reader to annex, in 
addition to the above, the following catalogue of au- 
thorities, as the sources, generally, whence are derived 
the antiquities of the Egyptians, Chinese, and Assyrian 
dynasties. And-, 

1. Those of Egypt are, first, The old Egyptian 
Chronographeon, which passed through the hands, 
first of Manetho and subsequently of Syncellus ; the 
latter of which was rather an abstract of the original^ 
he having died before completing his account of it. 

Then also, even that abstract was incorporated with 
materials gathered from some later Chronicles. 

Of the old Chronographeon, some learned writers, 
of whom Scaliger is one, are of the opinion that it is 
nothing but an abridgement of the Tomes of Manetho. 
Prideaux seems to entertain this view. But Syncellus' 
comparison of the latter work with the former, though 
it leads to a discovery of errors on the part of Manetho, 
entirely irreconcileable with the original, yet shows 
the two works to be separate and distinct ; the old 

1. Shuck, con. vol. I. p. 13 — 20. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 25 

Chronographeon dividing each reign of the Egyptian 
kings by astronomical^ and the work of Manetho by 
historical data. 

2. The Egyptian Dynasty closed with the reign of 
Nectanebus, when it fell into the hands of the Persians 
under the valorous arm of Ochus, and was finally re- 
duced by Alexander the Great. At his death it formed 
u a part of the provinces of Ptolemy > one of his captains, 
who in a few years became king of it;" It was during 
the reign of his son Ptolemy Philadelphus, that Mane- 
tho, then at the head of the sacra of the Egyptians, 
and one of the nobility, " about the time, or soon after* 
the Septuagint translation was made of the Hebrew 
ScriptureSj was ordered to compile the history of his 
own country. Having consulted the sacred books of 
the Egyptians} and extracted, as he pretended, what 
had been transcribed into them from their most ancient 
monuments, and completed his undertaking in the 
Greek tongue, he dedicated it to Ptolemy, at whose 
command he had composed it." This, therefore, forms 
the next source of authoritative data for the antiquities 
of this nation. The errors and imperfections of his 
Tomes, however, failing to give satisfaction, Eratos- 
thenes was ordered by Ptolemy Euergetes in the fol- 
lowing reign, "to make a further collection of the 
Egyptian kings." Hence, 

3. The catalogue of Eratosthenes is now to be 
added to the above. This writer was a Cyrenian, 
and, having attained great eminence as a scholar at 
Athens, the seat of Grecian learning, he was invited into 
Egypt by Euergetes, where he became one of the keepers 
3 



26 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

of the Royal Library at Alexandria, and at whose com- 
mand lie furnished a new catalogue of the Egyptian 
kings. His first business was, to point out the defects of 
Manetho's work, which had originated after it so early 
a demand for one of greater accuracy. But, even in 
this work, though generally esteemed a vast improve- 
ment on the former, yet from the great difficulty of 
preserving accuracy in computing or transcribing the 
old Egyptian numeral hieroglyphics, errors, to a 
greater or lesser extent were unavoidable. 

4. A fourth source of information in these premises, 
is some extracts from Manetho in Josephus, relating to 
the Pastor kings, who, in the reign of Timaeus, inva- 
ded Egypt, and held it in subjection for five hundred 
and eleven years. Josephus, however, seems to com- 
mit a capital error by including these Pastors in, or as 
forming part of the Egyptian dynasties ; for, they 
" were not Egyptian ; they were foreign invaders, 
who over-ran Egypt, and reduced a great part of the 
country into subjection." 

5. Following this, is the work of Sextus Julius 
Africanus of the third century, a Christian, who wrote 
his " Chronographia " about one hundred and fifty 
years after Josephus. This work extends from the 
creation to the consulate of Gratus and Seleucus, to 
A. D. two hundred and twenty one, and includes the 
dynasties of Manetho ; rejecting, however, all that he 
" offered of the reigns of gods, demi-gods, and heroes, 
to be fables, fiction, or false theology, and thereupon 
superfluous." In this light, the work of Africanus 
may be viewed as a valuable accession to the history 
of the times of which it treats, his aim being: to reduce 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 27 

the whole to what he considered "the true chronology 
of the world." 

6. The Chronicon of Eusebius Pamphilius, Bishop 
of Csesarea, about a century after, followed that of 
Africanus. His work commences with the birth of 
Abraham, and terminates with the 20th year of Con- 
stantine the Great. The design of it is, by exhibiting 
the events of sacred and profane history as cotem- 
porary, to harmonize the one with the other. But in 
synchronizing these events, he is thought to have 
taken unwarrantable liberties both with Manetho and 
Africanus, in the arrangement of his Egyptian dy- 
nasties, which greatly diminishes the accuracy, and 
consequently, the value of his work. 

7. The next source of authority respecting the an- 
tiquities of Egypt, is, "the chronographia of Syn- 
cellus, written A. D. 800 ; which may be considered 
as a compilation from all the preceeding, with such 
departures from, and corrections of each, as his judg- 
ment dictated. But this also should be used with 
great caution ; " for, Syncellus had certainly formed 
no right judgment of the Egyptian history ; as ap- 
pears evidently from his declaring that he knew no 
use of, nor occasion for, Eratosthene's catalogue of 
the Theban kings." 

8. The last work to which we will refer the reader 
in this department, is, "the Canon Chronicus of Sir 
John Marsham." He considered Egypt as being di- 
vided into four concurrent kingdoms in the most 
early ages ; viz, — • Thebes — This — Memphis — and 
Tarns, or Lower Egypt. He formed a canon or table, 



28 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

to give the reader in one view, the cotemporary 
kings of each kingdom. And, in the execution of his 
work in proper chapters, he endeavors to justify the 
position of the kings, according to the succession as- 
signed to them in the successive columns of his 
canon." And when we reflect, that he has succeeded 
in reducing the difference in the chronology of events 
as narrated in sacred and profane history, ending with 
the passage of the Israelites over the Red Sea, to the 
narrow point of some six or seven years, it cannot but 
strengthen our conviction of the concurrence of the 
events of profane, with those of the sacred records. 

II. Our remarks on the Chinese records and their 
antiquities, we shall reserve for a subsequent page. 

III. The authorities upon which we are dependant 
for information respecting the antiquities of the an- 
cient Assyrian empire, are, chiefly, those of Hero- 
dotus, Ctesias, Zenophon, Aristotle, Strabo, Diodorus 
Siculus, &c. The value of these authorities, however, 
may be inferred from the fact, that while Sir Isaac 
Newton and Sir John Marsham on the one hand, 
contend " that there were no such kings of Assyria, as 
all the ancient writers have recorded to have reigned 
therefrom Ninus to Sardanapalus, and to have governed 
a great part of Asia for above one thousand three hundred 
years ; v the learned Shuckford on the other, labors to 
reconcile the conflicting and often contradictory state- 
ments with which the writings of the above named an- 
cient authors abound, with the actual existence of said 
Assyrian kings, from the coincidence of their history 
\yith that of the sacred records. For further informs 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 29 

tion on this interresting subject, together with the pre- 
ceding, the reader is referred to his connections of 
sacred and profane history. 

With these facts before us, it is easy to discover 
into what a chaos of perplexity, remote profane 
history is involved. But, this circumstance we think 
may be satisfactorily accounted for, from the very 
structure peculiar thereto. Take, for example, that of 
the ancient Egyptian dynasty. First, in order, follows 
an account of their gods ; then of their demi-gods and 
heroes, and finally, of their kings. 1 To their heroes, 
at a very early period of their history, they appended 
the names of their sidereal and elementary deities, the 
philosophical opinions concerning whom, in their 
subsequent mythological accounts, were transferred to 
the life and actions of the heroes themselves. This- 
circumstance soon induced a departure from the once 
unadorned style of imparting religious instruction to 
the common people, and a substitution in its place of 
an ambitious desire to cater to the appetites of the 
fastidious. 2 Hence, the vagaries of a fanciful mytho- 
logy and philosophy, soon obscured the unsophis- 
ticated facts of primitive profane history. And,, as 
we advance from the period of the second Thyoth or 
Hermes, to the times when Grecian philosophy be- 
came ascendant, the disposition to pander to the appe- 
tite of human intellectuality, both in perverting, as 
above, the plainest historical facts, and in originating 

1. Shuck. Con. vol. L, p. 43, 44. 

2. See on tins subject, Euseb. Prsep, Evang. lib. L, c. 10. 

3* 



SO INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

systems of physiological science in the place of what 
had been previously received as decisive on the 
ground of oral patriarchal tradition, obtained the 
ascendency. 

In regard to the original invention of Letters, while 
some ascribe it to Adam, and others to Abel ; Pliny, 1 
as founded without doubt upon the notion that the 
wwld was eternal, in one place hints that letters were 
eternal ; but his general opinion was, that they were 
of Assyrian origin. 2 And, while Philo Biblius, 
Diodorus, 3 Plutarch, 4 Cicero, 5 Tertullian, 6 Plato, 
&c, all ascribe them to Thyoth or Taautus of 
Egypt; 7 yet "considering that mankind was not 
planted first in Egypt, after the flood, but emigrated 
thither from Assyria ; and that a very few years after 
the dispersion, astronomical calculations (which argue 
the use of letters) were made in Babylon, the latter 
conclusion would seem the most rational. And then, 
with whom originate more probably than with Noah, 
the father and founder of the New world, if indeed 
they were not, as Shuckford thinks, of ante-diluvian 
origin. 8 That they were used in Assyria before the 
time of Abraham, and in Egypt before the time of 



1. Lib. vii., c. 56. & Ibid\ 

3. Diodor. 1. i., § 16., p. 10. 4. Sympos. 1. ix., c. 3. 

5. Lib de Nat. Deor. iii., § 22. 6. Lib. de corona militis. c. 8; 

et de Testim. Animae ; c. 5. 
7, " By the books of Taautus, Shuckford supposes are meant 
pillars, or lumps of earth with inscriptions on them, books not 
being invented in these early days." 

8, Shuck. Con. vol. i., p. 142. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 31 

Moses, there can be no doubt. And Scaliger, Vossius, 
and Bochart have proved beyond contradiction, that 
the Assyrian, Syrian, Canaanitish, Phoenician, and 
Hebrew letters were all nearly the same. But, 

It is here objected, that the Egyptian Hieroglyphics 
are the most antique letters extant. To this, however, it 
is replied, 1st., that the Menes of Diodorus, and other 
heathen writers, and the Mestraim of Syncellus, who 
with Herodotus, 1 Eratosthenes, Africanus,. and Euse- 
bius, acknowledge to have been the first king of 
Egypt, is the same with the Mizraim of Moses, as 
the coincidence of the sacred and profane narratives 
as shown by Sir John Marsham fully demonstrates. 2 
Whether he was present at the building of Hebron,, 
situated between Shinaar and Egypt> seems uncer- 
tain ; but that city was built seven years before Zoan 
in Egypt. 3 Canaan, therefore, was settled even before 
Egypt. The Timaus also of Plato, who is the same 
with the Mizraim of Moses, that writer says reigned 
over all Egypt ; 4 and, after leaving Zoan at the en- 
trance of Egypt where he first settled, he penetrated 
farther into the interior, and built Thebes and Mem- 
phis. 5 To this we add, 2nd., that though the Egyp- 
tians at an early period fell into Idolatry, yet it 
appears that in the time of Abraham, they were wor- 
shippers of the true God, he having been received and 
entertained in Egypt the same as at Gerar. 6 This, 



1. Lib. ii., § 4. 2. Canon Chronicon. p. 22. 

3. Num. xiii. 22. 4. In Phttdro. p. 1240. 

5. H.erod. lib. ii., § 99. (},. Gen. xii 14, and xx. 1, 2, Jcc. 



32 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

fact is also confirmed by the testimony of Plutarch, l 
Philo Biblius, 2 and Porphyry. 3 It is evident, there- 
fore, 3rd., that hieroglyphics were not in use in the 
days of Abraham ; and to this we may add another 
fact, viz., that the pillars upon which Hermes or 
Taautus "left his memoirs, were inscribed, not 

in hieroglyphics, but isgoygayixoig ygafj/uaa^ in the 

sacred letters, in letters which were capable of 
being made use of by a translator, who turned what 
was written in these letters out of one language into 
another." 4 These sacred letters, however, fell into 
entire desuetude before the time of Diodorus : but 
Dr. Burnet 5 and bishop Stillingfleet both contend, 
that the sacred letters of the Egyptians were different 
from their hieroglyphics ; and also that, unlike the 
Chinese letters, which express no words, or particular 
sounds whatever, they were capable of expressing 
words of different languages. 6 

It is, however, further urged, that the rudeness of 
Egyptian sculpture is an evidence of their great anti- 
quity ; while, on the other hand it is contended, that, 
for the most part, these figures were evidently made 
after the Greeks and Romans broke in upon the 
Egyptians ; and further, that, whereas their ancient 
images represented animals of various sorts, e. g., a 
hawk for Osiris, a sea-horse for Typho, a dog for 

1.. Plut. de Iside et Osi. p. 359. 

2. Euseb. Prcep. Evang. lib. i., c. 10. 

3. Ibid. lib. iii., c. 11. 

4. Shuck. Con. vol. ii., p. 200. Euseb. in chron. p. 6. 
5. Archaolog. 6. Shuck. Con. vol. i., p. 147. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 33 

Mercury, a cat for the moon, &c, their modern relics 
are mostly of the human shape. True, judging from 
the figures in F. Montfaucon's collection, the rudeness 
of their shape indicates great antiquity. But u Plato 
expressly tells us, that it was a rule among their 
statuaries, to imitate the antique shapes of the ancient 
patterns, and that the carvers were by law, restrained 
from all attempts which looked like innovation." 1 

However much of incertitude, therefore, may accom- 
pany all our researches into remote antiquity in these 
premises, we think that we are warranted in deciding 
against the high claims thereto, on the part of ancient 
Egypt. The invention of letters is of Assyrian, not 
Egyptian origin. Menes, Mestraim, or Timaus, the 
first king of Egypt, is the Mizraim of Old Testament 
History. The origin of Egyptian hieroglyphics is 
evidently posterior to the time of Abraham, letters 
having been introduced anterior both to Abraham 
and Moses. And if it be true, as Scaliger, Casaubon, 
Grotius, Vossius, Bochart, Father Morin, Brerewood, 
Capellus, and Bishop Walton, contend, that the old 
Hebrew characters 2 were the same, or nearly the 
same as the Phoenician, 3 Syrian, Assyrian, and Ca- 
naanitish ; and also that the Egyptian were totally 



1. Plato de Legibus. Lib. ii., p. 789. 

2. These, " the Rabbins, Talmudists, Christian Fathers, Orison 
and St, Jerome, all believed have undergone a change, supposed to 
have been made by Ezra, after the rebuilding of the temple, when 
he wrote out a new copy of the law." (Shuck.) 

3. See specimens of them in Shuekford't Con. vol. i., pp. 
151 — 164. 



34 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

separate and distinct from the Chinese, it is natural 
to conclude that they must have been similar to the 
above. This would also seem subversive of the 
theory, that the Hebrew characters were first in- 
scribed by the finger of God upon the two tables of 
stone on the holy mount, as predicated of the suppo- 
sition, that, if written in the characters then known in 
Egypt, they must have tended to encourage that very 
idolatry prohibited in the second commandement ; 
inasmuch as the mythology of that nation at that time 
pervaded the entire body of their hieroglyphics. In- 
corporated, however, with these very hieroglyphics, 1 
were letters (which could have been none other than 
their sacred letters 2 ) explanatory of them ; their ex- 
tremely rude and uncouth forms rendering them f©r 
the most part otherwise unintelligible. This we say 
was indispensable, in order " to fill up and connect 
sentences, and to express actions." Hence, " the first 
man must have had letters as well as pictures, or 
their pictures could have hinted only the ideas of 
visible objects ; but there would have been much 
wanting in all inscriptions to give their full and true 
meaning. 3 Even admitting, then, as history indi- 
cates, 4 that Egyptian learning in the time of Moses 
was at an exceeding low ebb, and that their astron- 



1. These hieroglyphics were something like Pythagoras's pre- 
cepts, they expressed one thing, but meant another." Plut. lib. et 
Iside et Osiride., p. 354. 

2. See p. 32. 

3. Shuck. Con. vol. ii., p. 201. 

4. Marsham Con. Chron. p. 137. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 35 

omy, even before his day had led them into idolatry ; 
it no more follows that Moses was ignorant of the 
Hebraic Egyptian sacred letters, than that himself had 
become an idolator. Nor can it seem less than extra- 
ordinary, that scripture no where intimates such a 
miraculous origin of the Hebrew characters as above 
intimated ; since, in the erection of the Jewish taber- 
nacle and temple, and every thing connected with the 
whole pariphernalia of their priesthood, sacrifices, and 
ritual service, God said to Moses, " see thou make all 
things according to the pattern showed to thee in the 
mount" 1 As will hereafter be seen, we are no ad- 
vocates for superfluous miracles. 

As it regards the invention of letters, therefore, as 
already intimated, 2 with whom originate more pro- 
bably than with Noah, if indeed they were not, as the 
learned Shuckford thinks, of ante-diluvian origin. 
The Chinese ascribe the invention of their letters to 
their first emperor Fohi. Now, that this Fohi and 
Noah was one and the same person, we think will 
appear evident from the following. The Chinese say 
of their Fohi, that he had no father, which, in respect 
to them, was the case with Noah, their tradi-tional 
records containing no acccounts of his ancestry. 
They have a tradition of the rainbow, which they say 
surrounded the mother of Fohi at his conception. 
This answers to the " rainbow " of the Noahic cove- 
nant. 3 Fohi, they say, sacrificed seven sorts of 
creatures to the supreme spirit of heaven and earth. 

1. Exod. xxv. 9, 40. 2. See p. 30. 3. Gen. ix. 11—15. 



36 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY; 

Noah took with him into the ark both of clean beasts 
and fowls by sevens, which, after the subsiding of the 
waters of the flood, he offered in sacrifice to God, 1 &c. 
This analogy between their traditions and the facts 
of the sacred records might easily be extended, 2 but 
the above are deemed sufficient for our present pur- 
pose ; which is simply to demonstrate that the anti- 
quities of China reach no further back than the times 
of Noah, the difference between their chronology and 
that of the sacred text, according to their own writers, 
coinciding very nearly therewith. 3 

And, what is true of the Chinese Fohi, is true also 
of the Indian Bacchus, a name which originated first 
in India, " He was the first who pressed the grapes 
and made wine. 4 He lived in these parts before there 
were any cities in India. They say that he was 
twice born, " 5 &c, all of which is signally applicable 
to Noah* 

As most of my readers are doubtless more or less 
familiar with the coincidence of the antiquities of the 
Assyrian empire with those of the sacred Annals, I 
shall not detain them with any further amplifications 
of the subject in the department of history ; but shall 
proceed at once to a further confirmation of the pre- 
cedence of sacred over that of profane antiquity, by a 
comparison of the various systems of ancient profane, 

1. Gen. vii. and viii. 

2. See Martinii Hist. Sinica. p. 11; Le compte, mem. of China, 
p. 313 ; Couplets Confucius, Prosem. p. 38 5 76. 

3. Shuck Con. vol. i., p. 48. 

4. Gen. ix. 20. 5. Shuck. Con, vol. ii. ; p. 74, 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 37 

physiological philosophy, with the cosmogony of 
Moses. 

Of the philosophers of various ancient nations, 
— Orpheus, Thales, Pythagoras, Plato, and Aristotle, 
were the most eminent. Pherecydes, Anaximander, 
Anaximines, and Anaxigorus, were mere copyists : 
nor was any thing like a rational system of natural 
science concocted, till the days of Leucippus and De- 
mocritus. But, of these, and with them, the whole 
world of ancient philosophers it' may be said, that, 
when once they ventured beyond the bounds of their 
traditionary knowledge, by which means they had 
been enabled for ages to retain a tolerably correct 
idea of many important truths, and threw themselves 
upon an attempt to originate systems of philosophy 
by which to account for the how and the ivherefore 
of long-received and established principles, they went 
beyond themselves, and were soon bewildered in the 
mists of vain speculations. True, in the departments 
of geometry r , astronomy, physics \ and some other 
arts, the Egyptians from an early period had formed 
some tolerably correct notions. But in physiology, 
they contented themselves to receive what was 
handed down to them by their ancestors, and out of 
the treasures of their traditions, to instruct others ; not 
by the process of individual philosophical experi- 
ments, but by the established rule, "ask, and it shall 
be told you ; search the records of antiquity, and you 
shall find what you inquire after." 

Nor were the systems of ancient philosophy at all 
controverted, till the introduction of the science of 
4 



38 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

physiology into Greece, by the poets Hesiod, Homer, 
Linus, and some others. Of the " eminent masters M 
of Greece, from Pherecydes to Aristotle, an interval of 
about three hundred years, Thales, Pythagorus, and 
Aristotle only can be named ; and it is remarkable, 
that even they did not invent that part of their philos- 
ophy of which I am treating, but travelled for it, and 
collected it from the records of other nations. 

In connection with this subject we have further to 
observe, that it is no less extraordinary than true, that 
of all the philosophical speculations of ancient Greece, 
their physiological discoveries almost invariably ex- 
cluded a recognition of the Great First Intelligent 
Cause. Even Aristotle, who "rejected the ancient 
traditional knowledge, thinking it unbecoming a phi- 
losopher to offer opinions to the world, which he 
could not prove to be true," fell equally short with his 
predecessors of the same school, in producing "a well- 
grounded theory of natural knowledge." 1 

If asked, "whence has arisen the high and wide- 
spread reputation which has long crowned the name 
of Aristotle ? " we answer, it "is to be traced princi- 
pally to the occupations of the Scholastics of the 
middle ages, a body of men whose existence, origin, 
and influence, were based on superstition, ignorance, 
and bigotry alone ; and whose members occupied 
their time in distorting, magnifying, and perverting 
the language of the Holy Scriptures, and in inventing 
shackles and fetters for the human understanding, 
■■■■ - '■ p 

L Shuck. Con. I., p. 31. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 39 

which have continued ever since in a great degree to 
bind it, and must still do so until the diffusion of 
knowledge and of judicious education shall counteract 
the efforts of interested hypocrisy and imposition. 
The admiration of Aristotle's name and doctrines is 
principally to be ascribed to the fondness of these 
"illustrious" and "illuminated" doctors for idle logo- 
machies and dialectic subtilities ; " his doctrine con- 
sisting rather " of Words than of Things" and con- 
sequently is " dialectic and disputatious, rather than 
practically useful and beneficial." x 

He divided his system " into two branches, — the 
theoretical and the practical, each of these com- 
prising several distinct and very different subjects. 
Thus the theoretical embraces physics, metaphysics, 
logic, and mathematics ; — and well might it be 
called theoretical, for the notions of Aristotle were 
founded upon mere fanciful speculations, without ref- 
erence to facts, and without being the result of any 
series of scientific induction. It is only when we per- 
ceive, through the intricate jargon which he em- 
ployed, the portions %ohich he borrowed from some 
previous school, that we discover any approach to 
truth or to accurate research." 

We now ask, therefore, in that part of his theoretic 
philosophy which, included the department of phy- 
sics, what were the views entertained and taught by 
him of the Supreme Being? "What were the at- 
tributes which he ascribed to God? Ans. — He 



1, Prog, of Philos. pp. 337, 338. 



40 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

regarded him solely as the cause of motion ; the attri- 
butes which he ascribed to him were solely those of a 
Being, immoveable, eternal, indivisible, and incor- 
poreal ; inactive himself, yet causing motion, — not 
voluntarily, but by necessity ; not the creator of the 
world, but co-eternal with it ; happy only in the con- 
templation of himself; not taking cognizance of, and 
not regarding the affairs of the world, which owed not 
its existence to him, and to which his presence and 
influence do not extend ; which must be, indeed, far 
beyond his view, his observation, or his care ! " x 

Nor do we rest this representation of the doctrine of 
Aristotle respecting the Deity, as extracted from 
various portions of his writings, on our own authority 
alone. Cicero, two thousand years ago, speaking of 
Aristotle in connection with this part of his system, 
says, " at one time he assigns all the attributes of di- 
vinity to the mind alone ; at another time he tells us 
that the world itself is God. Here he speaks of some- 
thing superior to the world, and assigns to it the office 
of ruling and directing the motion by which the 
changes of the world are effected, — while there, we 
are told that God is but the i ardor' — the motive 
power of heaven, — not remembering that the 
heaven itself is but a part of that world, which we 
had been previously informed was God." 2 To this 
Cicero further adds, that Aristotle considered the 
world to be eternal in duration, having had no begin- 

1. Prog, of Philos. pp. 337, 338, 345 — 347. 

2. Prog, of Philos. p. 349. De. nat. Deor. I., § 13. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 41 

ning, and being subject to no end. The three prin- 
ciples of all things are, according to his system, mat- 
ter , form, and privation ; the two former essential to 
the constitution of all things, and the latter entering 
accidentally, — as he termed it, — into their composi- 
tion, whence they undergo a change of form. 1 

On the other hand, it will be found upon examina- 
tion, that "those philosophers who preceded Aristotle, 
regarded the Deity as the Supreme Being ; as infinite 
in power, and majesty, and goodness ; as ordering and 
directing the affairs of men ; and as the author of all 
that has existence." 2 How then, it will be asked, are 
we to account for these marked differences in their 
respective systems? This, we reply, is obvious. 
The former was satisfied to receive as traditionary 
truth, that system of philosophy which their capacities 
of reason, or means of knowledge, could neither refute 
nor improve. And, as we have demonstrated, that 
neither Adam nor Moses could have derived this 
knowledge without a direct revelation from God, all 
the ancient heathen nations must have received their 
traditions from the Hebrews. Nor will this be 
questioned for a moment, provided, upon a compari- 
son of the matter of fact history of the creation as 
given by Moses, with the most ancient systems of 
heathen philosophy, there can be traced any tolerable 
marks of correspondence. 

The Egyptians, Diodorus Siculus informs us. af- 
firmed, that in the beginning the heavens and the 



1. Ibid. p. 349, 350. 2. Ibid. p. Uti. 

4* 



42 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

earth were in one lump, mixed and blended together 
in the same mass. By the heavens, the Egyptians 
understood simply " the air and planetary regions be- 
longing to our world ; for the first Greeks, who re- 
ceived their learning from Egypt, agree very fully 
with Moses in this point. " In the beginning,' 1 says 
Orpheus, " the heavens were made by God, and in the 
heavens there was a chaos, and a terrible darkness 
was on all the parts of this chaos, and covered all 
things under the heaven ; " (See Gen. i., 1, 2.) by 
which he meant, as Syrian observes, that " the 
heavens and the chaos were the principia, out of 
which the rest were produced." So " Anaxagorus," 
who, with the most of the ancient writers, begin their 
accounts of the origin of the material heavens and 
earth from the commencement of their organization, 
as Laertius informs us, begins his book, — " All things 
were at first in one mass, but an intelligent agent 
came and put it in order." l With this agrees Aris- 
totle, who, as we have said, when borrowing from a 
previous school, approaches to truth. "All things," 
says he, " lay in one mass for a vast space of time, but 
an intelligent agent came and put them in motion, 
and so separated them from one another." 2 So of 
Sanchoniathon, when divested of " the mythology and 
false philosophy which those who lived after him 
added to his writings." He taught, " that there was a 
dark and confused chaos, and a blast of wind or air to 
put it in a ferment or agitation/' by which word " wind " 

1. Shuck. Con. I., p. 23. 2. Ibid. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 43 

avsfwg xoXma Mr. Shuckford contends he meant, 
not the wind Colpia, but avs/uog Col-pi-jah, i. e., 
the wind or breath of the voice of the mouth 
of the Lord ; and, " adds he, " if this was his mean- 
ing, he very emphatically expresses God's making all 
things with a word, and intimates also what the 
Chaldee paraphrase insinuates from the words of 
Moses, that the chaos was put into its first agitation 
by a mighty and strong wind." x 

The Greek writer Thales was of the opinion, " that 
the first principle of all thing was v&t*^ or water," 
which opinion is confirmed by the testimonpbf Tully. 
Thales, however, with all the ancient philosophers 
used the word water in the sense of u Chaos, from /* &>, 
the Greek word which signifies diffusion ; so that the 
word Chaos was used ambiguously, sometimes as a 
proper name, and sometimes for water," or, " a fluid 
substance." "From Plutarch's observation, Thales', 
vdwg {ioater) was not pure elementary water." " Thus 
Sanchoniathon argues ; from Chaos he supposes 
muddy matter to arise ; and thus Orpheus, out of the 
fluid Chaos, arose a muddy substance ; and Apollo- 
nius, out of the muddy substance the earth was 
formed, i. e., says the scholiast, the Chaos, of which all 
things were made, was a fluid substance, which, by 
settling, became mud, and that in time dried and con- 
densed into solid earth. It is remarkable that Moses 
calls the Chaos, ivater, in this sense ; w the spirit of 

^ i ■ ■..,,... — 

1. Ibid. p. 23, 9£ 



44 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

God," he says, moved upon the face of the maim, 
waters, or fluid matter." * 

To what conclusion, then, we ask, do these facts 
conduct us ? The facts we mean, first, of the know- 
ledge of the science of physiology by the ancients 
through the medium of tradition ; and second, of the 
utter failure of all the philosophers of Greece, even 
Aristotle not excepted, to originate any new system, 
which, so far from proving the fallacy of the old tra- 
ditionary philosophy, could not even give a reasonable 
account of the first principles of which it was . con- 
structed^The inevitable conclusion is, that the prin- 
ciples of tne old traditionary philosophy lay entirely 
beyond the discoveries of Human Reason. On this 
ground, what was true of Thales, Pythagoras, and 
Aristotle, was true also of Moses, familiar as he doubt- 
less was in his knowledge of the Egyptian philos- 
ophy. Nor did he in his cosmogony attempt to 
a€COunt for the how and the wherefore of things 
— that account being " a bare recital of facts." The 
facts, therefore, as related by Moses, must have been 
imparted to him by Divine Revelation, or else he must 
have received them from his ancestors. And, if we 
adopt the latter hypothesis, and inquire, from whom 
did they receive their information, a few generations 
conduct us back to the first man Adam. But even 
here, we must encounter the same difficulties as at the 
first. For we ask, u whenee had he this knowledge?" 
Could he, by his own reason, account for " the man- 

I. Shuck. Con. I., pp. 24, 25. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 45 

ner of his own crtation," with that of the primordial 
Chaos and the formation of the material earth and 
heavens, both of which existed before he had any 
being ? 

" A due consideration of these things must lead us 
to believe, that God at first revealed these things unto 
men ; that He acquainted them with what He had 
done in the creation of the world : and what He had 
thus communicated to them, they transmitted to their 
childrens children. Thus God, who in these last 
daps hath spoken to us by His son, did in the begin- 
ning in some extraordinary manner speak unto our 
fathers ; for there was a stock of knowledge in the 
world, which we cannot see how the possessors could 
possibly have obtained in any other way. Therefore, 
fact as well as history, testifies, that the notion of a 
Revelation is no dream ; and that Moses, in represent- 
ing the early ages of the world as having had con- 
verse with the Deity, does no more than what the 
state of their knowledge obliges us to believe." l 

Thus, therefore, as we flatter ourselves, have we 
clearly demonstrated the superiority of the claims of 
Moses as an historian, to guide our subsequent inves- 
tigations ; and this, as predicated of the argument of 
greater antiquity than that of any other writer extant ; 
proof being principally derived from the internal evi- 
dence, that their productions, so far as connected with 
the science of physiology, were borrowed from the 
sacred records of the Hebrews. 

1. Shuck. Con. I., pp. 31— 33. 



46 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

To sum up the whole, therefore, in few words, it 
would seem that, with the exception of what is claimed 
in behalf of Thyoth and Sanchoniathon of Berytus, 
sacred history claims a priority over that of profane, 
by a period of about three thousand three hundred 
years. Herodotus is the earliest post-diluvian profane 
historian extant. He flourished about one thousand 
years after the Jewish historian Moses, and about five 
hundred years before Christ ; and the chronology of 
his history bears date only about seven hundred years 
prior to that event. 

At this stage of our advance, and as appropriate to 
the subject in hand, we would respectfully submit, 
whether, what is claimed by the Antiquarian as ap- 
plicable to the age of the world from the creation 
and fall of man, is not strictly true of those periods 
which elapsed during the week of creation and of 
formation of the material universe, as designed to 
be set forth in the Mosaic cosmogony of that event. 
The affirmative of this position sustained, it will, if 
we mistake not, reflect material light on the preced- 
ing, in as much as it will discover the grounds of those 
errors into which the ancient profane historian was 
betrayed ; which was, that of confounding the evident 
remote antiquity which stamped the works of nature, 
with those oral traditionary historic facts, as above 
represented. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 47 



SECTION III. 



With this intimation in view, and without further 
delay, we now state, that, in Scripture, various forms 
of speech are employed to designate time ; one of 
which is the term " day," used in the first chapter of 
Genesis to denote the length of the Great Creator's 
week of labor and of repose. " The evening and the 
morning were the first, second, third day," 1 &c. 
The question respecting this term as above, is, whether 
it is a natural or solar day of twenty-four hours, or a 
period of vastly greater length. 

In conducting our inquiries in reference to this in- 
teresting subject, we observe that, reasoning analogi- 
cally, Nature and Providence are gradual in their op- 
erations ; not like man, who is always for subitaneous 
violence, but deliberately proceeding, by gradual evo- 
lutions, as illustrated in the physical and intellectual 
powers of man, to unfold to our view the properties, 
first, of matter, and then of mind. 

In accordance, therefore, with this principle, we now 
proceed to demonstrate, a posteriori, as founded upon 
the physiological and oryctologieal discoveries of sci- 
ence, that the six days of creation, as mentioned in 
the history of Moses, were periods of stupendous 
length — and, 

I. Presumptive evidence of this fact we think may 
be fairly drawn, from a more extended survey of the 
work of formation attributed to each of the six days. 

''<■'■* — --■ — — • 

1. Gen. i. 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31. Chap. ii. 2. 



48 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

1. The work of the first day was the separation of 
light from darkness — the Hebrew word ^ or, 
translated light, Parkhurst defines to be the celestial 
fluid in a state of activity. l^Vfl wechoshech, rendered 
darkness, the same celestial fluid in an inactive state. 
It was from this crude aqueous matter, (which, in 
its inactive state, constituted the darkness which en- 
veloped the primeval chaos, and which preceded the 
existence of light,) by being subjected to the energies 
of the Divine Spirit, that its inherent igneous proper- 
ties were thrown off ; and when collected into one body, 
constituted light: the residuum, — darkness.* The 
work of this first day, is to be carefully distinguished 
from that of the fourth, which was appropriated to the 
formation of the sun, moon, and stars. 

2. The second day was appropriated to the sepa- 
ration of air and water. The original word, *jn 
rakia, signifies air, or the expansion, a gaseous 
fluid, and not firmament, as in the English version, 
which is taken from the Septuagint. This constituted 
the next step of advance in the organization of the 
chaotic aqueous matter. For, till there was an ex- 
panse, or atmosphere, the particles of water thrown off 

* "It seems to me most rational," says Bishop Patrick, "by this 
light to understand those particles of matter which we call fire, 
(whose properties every one knows are light and heat,) which the 
Almighty Spirit, that formed all things, produced as the great in- 
strument for the preparation and digestion of the rest of the matter; 
which was still more vigorously moved and agitated, from the top 
to the bottom, by this restless element, till the purer and more shin- 
ing parts of it, being separated from the grosser, and united in a 
body fit to retain them, became light." — Com. on Gen. i. 1—3. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 49 

by the continued action of fire on the primeval ele- 
ments, could not ascend. This expanse provided, the 
process of evaporation could go on, the smaller parti- 
cles being raised above by exhalation, and the larger 
body of water remaining below. Thus the atmos- 
phere, and which is the same with the material 
heaven, through which the birds of the air wing their 
devious course, " divided the waters which were above 
them,* from the waters which were below them." 

3. On the third day, sea and land were disuni- 
ted, and the earth was made to produce vegetation. 
Each successive process in the conformation of the 
primeval aqueous matter to the purposes designed, 
should be sedulously kept in view. The chaotic ele- 
ments had by the organization of the first two days, 
produced successively and in the following order, dark- 
ness, light, the atmosphere, and a division of the ex- 
halated particles of water, from the denser fluid. This 
fluid, however, was subjected to another process, — 
that of bringing together its granitic and earthy ele- 
ments ; the former constituting the primitive rock or 
skeleton of our globe, the latter, the soil with which 
they were covered, as indispensable to the purposes of 
vegetation. Hence the division of earth and water, or 
sea and land, and the production of grass, herbs, and 
trees. 

It might here be asked, how, without the genial 
warmth of the sun, &c, could the surface o\ the earth 

* It has been demonstrated that of the exhalated watery particles 
which float in the air, there is an average of about four hundred 
weight to every square yard of the earth's surface. 
5 



50 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

be productive of the various vegetable tribes ? The 
answer is, that as the chaotic aqueous matter, in its 
active state, partook of the properties of heat as well 
as light, so, " as in a hot-house, germination would 
proceed without interruption," But, 

4. On the fourth day, a more perfect division of 
darkness and light into day and night was produced, 
by placing in the material heavens, the sun, the moon, 
and the stars. This was the first division of " the 
evening and the morning " of the three preceding days, 
into natural day and night. Thenceforward, the di- 
urnal revolutions of the earth on its axis, and the lu- 
nar and solar revolutions of the sun and moon, estab- 
lished the divisions of time into days, months, and 
years, and the seasons into those of summer and 
winter. 

5. The formation, first of fishes, and second, of 
birds, the products of the waters, constituted the work 
of the fifth day. 

6. The work of the sixth day was appropriated 
to the formation, first, of the various species and genus 
of beasts and reptiles, and finally, of Man. And, 

7. The seventh day was a sabbath of rest. 

In conducting our inquiries in reference to the ques- 
tion at issue, we shall be compeled to wander rather 
beyond the common beaten track, and argue, a poste- 
riori, as an aid to our conceptions of the probable 
time, during which the primordial elements remained 
in their chaotic state, subject to the agency of the 
Divine Spirit. Also, a priori, as estimated by the 
general alalogy of the works and word of God, as 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 51 

unfolded in nature and providence, as the mode of 
determining the length of each creative day. Reason- 
ing analogically, as we have once before remarked^ 
nature and providence are" gradual" in their opera- 
tions ; not like " man," who is always for subitaneous 
violence ; but deliberately proceeding, by " gradual 
evolutions," as illustrated in the physical and intellect- 
ual powers of man, to unfold to our view the proper- 
ties, " first of matter, and then of mind." 

Now, take a view of the vastness of the material 
universe of God, and I ask if there be any thing un- 
reasonable in the conception of the possibility ', that a 
greater period of time than that of six natural days of 
twenty-four hours each, was occupied in their forma- 
tion ? and if not, then arguing a posteriori, may we 
not attribute a period of proportionable, though of 
course indefinite amplitude, to the existence of the 
chaotic elements? 

Without further preliminaries, we now observe, that 
in reference to this subject, there are four classes of 
opinions : 

The first (and the popular opinion) excludes all 
distinction between the act of creation and that of 
formation ; and assigns six natural days, of twenty-four 
hours each, to the production of the material universe. 

The second admits the above distinction, and, like 
the first class, assigns six natural days, of twenty-four 
hours each, to the organization of the primeval aqueous 
matter ; but asserts a previous organization to that of 
the six days, of vast, but indefinite length. 

The third also odmits the above distinction ; but 



52 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

extends the six days to six periods, each of immense, 
though of various and indefinite length ; and, 

The fourth, which is the standard adopted in this 
Essay, the same as the third, with the exception 
that it prefers to equalise the time allotted to each 
period. 

Before we proceed, however, to an examination, 
upon the basis of Scripture, of these several theories, 
it will be well to notice the expositions of that class 
of critics who assign an existence, prior to that of the 
earth, to other planets or worlds, which compose our 
astronomical system. The hypothesis assumed by 
these critics is as follows, viz. : That the chaotic mass 
out of which this earth was formed, was produced by 
the destruction of one of the previously existing 
planets, by the shock of some comet. 

Names, ancient and modern, and preferring high 
claims to our regard, are quoted in support of this 
system. Basilius, Archbishop of Csesarea, towards 
the close of the fourth century, in his commentary on 
Genesis, says, it is probable that something of creative 
nature existed before this World, though no narrative 
of it is furnished. Smith and Jennings follow Hally, 
the author of the above system, in the particular form 
in which it is there given ; and with this harmonizes 
the claims of the celebrated Herschel, of having discov- 
ered, by his great telescope, that there are stars, the 
light of which has been two millions of years in its 
progress to our earth; which opinion is also adopted 
by Mr. Vince, the professor of Astronomy in the Uni- 
versity of Cambridge. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 53 

The principal arguments adduced in support of this 
hypothesis, are, 

1. That the cosmogony of Moses contemplates sim- 
ply a history of the origin of the human species ; all 
the other parts thereof being incidental. But, to our 
apprehension, this argument is irrelevant, and tends 
only to derogate from the wisdom and power of the 
Almighty, as displayed in the creation and formation 
of the material universe. True, the human species 
constitute the noblest part of God's handy-work ; true, 
also, the earth was created as the abode of man. 
Taking the history, however, as it stands, and we see 
not why one event, as therein narrated, is not rela- 
tively as important as the other. The cosmogany oi 
Moses was designed to furnish an account of the 
origin of the material universe, of which man, so 
far as it respects his animal nature, forms a fart. 
Man's superiority, when compared with the other parts 
of the material world, consists in his endowment of a 
nature, of qualities, of attributes, not inherent in mat- 
ter. He is a spiritual, immortal being — not that he 
possesses essential immortality ; but only as it is the 
gift of his Creator — nor, after his sin, did this super- 
natural endowment shield him from the curse, u from 
dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return™ 

2. Job, chap, xxxviii. 4 — 7, is quoted in proof of 
the existence of other parts of the creation before this 
globe. The veriest tyro, however, upon the lace of 
that passage cannot but perceive that God is addressing 
himself to Job out of the whirlwind, demanding to 
know if he were present cither at the creation or 



5* 



54 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

organization of the material heavens and earth. " The 
sons of God * here spoken of, interpreters generally 
understand to be, that order of intelligent agents, 
called angels, the priority of whose existence to that 
of the material universe, or of man, none deny. " The 
morning stars," however, are quoted as decisive proof 
that there were pre-existent planets as well as angels. 
In proof, it is asserted that the 14th verse of the 1st 
chap, of Genesis, " Let there be light in the firmament 
of heaven," does not refer to the primary organization 
of the sun, moon, and stars, &c, but to a clearing in 
the superincumbent atmosphere of our globe, so as to 
render them visible ! Now, to this we remark, that 
all that is said of the organization of light, and the 
formation of the planetary system, the sun, moon, and 
stars, relate to the first and fourth days. On the se- 
cond day the air r or atmospheric expanse was formed, 
and which is represented to have been cleared of its 
superincumbent qualities, in order to expose to view 
the previously invisible planets. But we ask, was it 
on the first or the fourth day that the planets were 
first formed? Certainly the latter. See verses 14 — 16. 
And that they were so formed primarily on the fourth 
day, and not on the firsts is incontrovertibly demon- 
strated by the 17th and 18th verses, where we read, 
cc And God DI1& 7i777 set them (the sun, moon, and 
stars,) in the firmament of heaven," for the express 
purpose that they might " give light upon the earth, 
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to 
divide the light from the darkness." This had not 
been done on the first day. All that was then accom- 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 55 

plished was a seperation of the elements of light and 
darkness, produced by the action of fire on the aque- 
ous congeries. 

Still it is said, in proof, that the earth we inhabit 
is merely a resuscitated globe, and that it had been a 
world many ages before it became the abode of 
man ; 

3. That the passage rendered, " and the earth was 
without form and void," may be rendered, " but the 
earth became a ruin and a desolation." To this ren- 
dering we oppose the following — " And the earth was 
[as] a ruin and a desolation /' i. e., in appearance it 
resembled a vast city buried in ruins, and covered with 
desolation. With this agrees not only our excellent 
English version, but also the Septuagint and the 
Vulgate ; the former of which has " ') de y*j r HN 
dogaTog^ and the latter, " terra autem erat inanis 
et vacua? Of those of more modern date, Luther 
renders it, " waste and empty ;" Le Sage, "a solitude 
and desert: " Gaddes, " desolate and waste" It is 
also worthy of remark, that with these renderings 
agree the original V"7^H7 translated, " the earth,'* 
which with its root, signifies swift motion, indicative 
of that tremulous, confusedly agitated motion to and 
fro, of the earthly matter, (q. d. therusliing chaos.) the 
terra prima, the semi-formative of the world, as yet 
in embryo, and as having just received the impulsive 
fiat of its great Creator, who 

" Nor stay'd, but on the wings of cherubim 
Uplifted, in paternal glory rode 
Far into chaos, and the world unknown" 



56 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

This, we say, seems the most natural and obvious 
construction of the subject in hand. It divests it of 
all reasonable objection, and at the same time fur- 
nishes us with a " simple, intellectual, easily conceiv- 
able view of the chaotic basis of the future world ;" 
and with the Scriptures as our guide, "may we not 
humbly conceive of the Almighty as first speaking 
the elements into existence together, in one general 
conglomerated mass, and then afterwards imparting 
to each its respective appropriate qualities, &c. When 

" Confusion heard his voice, and wild uproar 
Stood rul'd." 

Let us now return to the four theories which pre- 
vail, in reference to the length of the six days men- 
tioned in the first chapter of Genesis. 

In regard to the first of these four theories, with 
the exception that it harmonizes with the latter part of 
the second, in reference to its allotment of six natural 
days as the time of organization, there is no agreement 
between it and the other three ; they all admitting the 
distinction between the works of creation and of 
formation. This point, therefore, first demands 
consideration. 

As already observed, in the very brief but compre- 
hensive cosmogony of Moses, there is an evident 
priority of action on the part of the Divine Being, to 
that of entering upon the work of each successive day. 
Otherwise, is it not difficult to conceive the propriety^ 
on the part of the inspired historian, of marking so 
minutely the process consecutively of the work of 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 57 

each day ? * The only consistent construction of the 
narrative, therefore, as I conceive, is to institute a 
distinction, in this stupendous work of God, between 
that of creation and of formation. "In the be- 
ginning, God created the heavens and the earth." 
But, even after their creation, " the earth was with- 
out form and void, and darkness was upon the face 
of the deep ; " i. e., they remained in a chaotic state, a 
mass of indescribable confusion. After their creation, 
" the spirit of God moved upon the face of the wa- 
ters," thereby preparing the embryo earth and heavens 
for the parts which they were respectively to occupy 
in the material universe, during both the progress and 
consummation of their organized forms. The first 
verse of Genesis therefore speaks of the creation of the 
substance, or prima materia of the heavens and 
earth. The second, to the vital energies of a super- 
natural agency, in preparing the primordial elements 
for subsequent organization. And the third and fol- 
lowing verses to the end of chapter first, to the ar- 
ranging those elements in their proper form. 

Of the first part of the second theory, which asserts 
an organization of the chaotic elements previous to 
the first of the six days, we observe, that it seems en- 
tirely at variance with the Cosmogony of Moses. 
There is, upon the face of the history, a total silence 
as to any organization prior to the first day. The 
conclusion, therefore, is, that there is a distinction to bo 

1 Com. Gen. i, 1,2, with v. 3, 6, 9, 11, 20, 25, ii. l—'-l 



58 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

instituted between the work of creating the sub- 
stance, or prima materia of the universe, and that 
of its subsequent organization. And also, that 
there could be no organization of said substance prior 
to the first of the six days. 

We now proceed to furnish evidence, that each of 
the six days of organization as above, was a period of 
vast length. Of the length of the six days organi- 
zation of the previously created elements of nature, 
(the subject now to be discussed,) we enquire ; — were 
they six natural or solar days, as measured by the 
revolutions of the earth on its axis once in twenty- 
four hours? Or, were they six periods of greater 
length? 

Now, of the first of these two theories we remark, 
the point to be decided is not, what, in the creation 
and formation of the stupendous sj^stem of nature the 
Almighty could do, but what he actually did do. 
The supposition of what the Almighty could do, 
which, by the way, forms the basis of the first of the 
above theories, involves the intervention of a miracle, 
in giving existence to the material universe ; and if 
by the intervention of a miracle, then we ask, why 
extend it continuously through the term of six days ; 
when the Almighty could have accomplished the 
same work in a moment of time ? It should, however, 
be borne in mind, that when a miracle is wrought as 
a display of infinite wisdom and power, it always 
stands connected with circumstances calling for a di- 
version, from their natural course, of the ordinary 
and permanently established laws of physical nature. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 59 

Then too, the object of a miracle ; which is, to pro- 
duce a moral effect ; to persuade, to convict, where all 
ordinary evidence has failed. Thus, the turning of a 
rod into a serpent, &c, by Moses ; l the arresting the 
natural course of the Sun and Moon by Joshua ; 2 the 
causing of the iron axe to swim by Elias ; 3 the turning 
of water into wine, &c, &c, by Christ ; 4 the healing 
of the cripple by St. Peter, 5 with scores of others of a 
similar nature, are all so many instances of miracu- 
lous interruptions of natures laws, and they were de- 
signed, as extraordinary means, to cure men of their 
idolatry, infidelity, or atheism. But, Noah's ark was 
not built by miracle — he was one hundred and twenty 
years engaged in its erection. 6 Nor was the earth del- 
uged by miracle. It was nought but the effect of 
natural causes, under the direction and control of Al- 
mighty power. Hence, until it can be made to appear 
that, in the creation and formation of the material 
heavens and earth, the Great Architect of nature 
wrought a superfluous miracle, no rational argument 
can be derived from the admission of what he could 
do, in support of this first theory ; nor is it easy for us 
to conceive how such an admission contributes, as it 
is contended, to aggrandize our views^of the Divine 
wisdom and power, or of the magnitude and magnifi- 
cence of his works. 

What remains for us now is, to adduce what we 



1. Exod. viii., 8 — 10. 2. Josh, x., 12, 13. 
3. 2 Kings vi., 5 7 4. John ii., 1 — 11. 
5. Acts iii., 1 — 11. 6. Comp.Gen. vi., 3, with 1 Pet.iii.. 00. 



60 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

conceive to be evidence, in support of the latter 
theory, viz. : — that the six days of organization or 
formation of the primordial chaotic elements of nature 
were, not six natural or solar days, but six periods of 
vast length. 

Here we shall notice, in the first place, the point of 
difference between the third and fourth theories 
above named. The former theory attributes to the 
six days an indefinite period, and also divides these 
periods unequally ; — the latter, from the nature of 
the evidence adduced, assigns to each period, a vast, 
definite, and uniform length. Let us however, 

I. Adduce the evidence, that each day of the six, 
must have greatly exceeded the length of a natural 
or solar day ; and, 

II. That they were all not only of vast but definite, 
and uniform length. 

I. That each day of the six, must have greatly ex- 
ceeded the length of a natural or solar day of twenty 
four hours, (relying upon the cosmogony of Moses as 
our guide.) we think abundantly evident, 

1. From the ordinary and obvious process of or- 
ganization, as therein described. In illustration of 
this subject, it is only necessary to compare the pro- 
cess of organization or formation of the vegetable 
family on the third day, with those of fishes, birds, 
beasts, reptiles, and man, on the fifth and sixth days. 
For, on the supposition that the three intervening 
days were three days of twenty-four hours each, one 
of two consequences follow : either first, vegetation 
must have been formed in a mature state on the third 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 61 

day, or that maturity must have been effected through 
the medium of an unnatural growth, in order to an- 
swer the purposes of food to all the animal world not 
carnivorous ; and which, in either case, would argue 
the intervention of a miracle : or, second, all animals 
not carnivorous, the productions of the fifth and sixth 
days work, must inevitably have perished with hun- 
ger. But, that they were neither thus formed on the 
third day, or brought to an unnatural maturity 
between the third and sixth days, is abundantly evi- 
dent from the history itself. Moses, Genesis ii. v. 5., 
in his enlarged account of the work of Creation says, 
that the Almighty made "every plant of the field 
before it was in the earth, and every herb of the 
field before it grew : P &c. i. e., the seeds of these 
vegetables were thus formed, not the plants and 
herbs in their mature state. This seems to be 
the obvious purport of the original )~|/OK^ and of 
the Greek anxTeda^ which may be rendered, before 
it sprouted or germinated : which, if not strictly true 
of plants, yet most certainly of herbs ; for, with what 
consistency can herbs be said to have arrived at ma- 
turity " before they grew " ? And if this be true of 
the one, then why not of the other? The conclusion 
therefore is, that the seeds of plants and herbs, having 
been formed on the third day, were left to nature, in 
its ordinary operations, to be brought to maturity ; 
and as we know that the process of germination ic 
gradual, and that it requires many years for trees to 
attain even a moderate size, the third, fourtli, fifth 
6 



62 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

and sixth days at least, must have exceeded the 
length of so many natural or solar days. 

2. The physiological structure of our globe de- 
monstrates, that its origin is to be attributed to re- 
mote antiquity. Here we have to premise in the first 
place, that the material heavens and earth, at their 
first creation, were not stamped with that perfection 
which the popular view appropriates to it. Nor will 
this be found in the least to derogate from the ade- 
quacy either of the wisdom, the power, or the good- 
ness of the Great Creator. Viewed as a whole, it will 
be found in perfect harmony with the vast designs of 
God as connected with that "New Heavens and 
New Earth," which is destined to receive that 
stamp of perfection from the hand of the Almighty 
Architect, which in his infinite wisdom was withheld 
from the first. Nor, speaking theologically, are we 
now treading upon neio ground. No. This view of 
the comparative perfection of the first and second 
creation, with many others of equal importance in 
conveying correct apprehensions of the work of God 
as a whole, has in a great measure been lost to the 
Church. Lost, we say. For, with the exception of 
the period which intervened from the Apostle's time to 
the Nicene Council A. D. 325, and the early part of 
the Reformation, this doctrine has become compara- 
tively obsolete. But, Dr. Burnett, in his elaborate 
Treatise on the " Theory of the Earth," quoting, on 
this subject, the sentiments of the Council of Nice, 
which was convened by Constantine the Great about 
the year three hundred and twenty-five, soon after the 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 63 

establishment of Christianity in the Roman Empire, 
and when the fundamental doctrines of the gospel for 
the most part were yet "uncorrupt," makes the fol- 
lowing extract. — u The world was made meaner ', or 
less perfect, providentially ; for God foresaw that man 
would sin. Wherefore we expect new heavens 
and a new earth, according to the Holy Scrip- 
tures," &C. 1 The same sentiment prevailed at the 
Reformation, and was thus reduced to form under the 
reign of Edward VI., in the Church of England Cate- 
chism. Thus it speaks — " The end of the world 
Holy Scripture calleth the fulfilling and performance 
of the kingdom and mystery of Christ, and the renew- 
ing of all things ; for, saith the Apostle Peter, (2 Epist. 
iii.) We, according to his promise, look for new 
heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth 
righteousness. And it seemeth reason that corruption, 
unsteadfast change, and sin, whereunto the whole 
world is subject, should at length have an end, ac- 
cording to the witness of the Apostle; < The heavens 
shall pass away with a great noise, and the ele- 
ments shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also 
and the works that are therein shall be burned up ; ' 
as though he had said — As gold is wont to be fined, 
so shall the whole world be purified with fire, and be 
brought to its full perfection. The lesser world, 
which is man, following the same, shall likewise be 
delivered from corruption and change ; and so. Un- 
man, this greater world) which for his sake was first 



1. Burnett's Thco. of the Earth, vol. 11.. p. 246, H seq. 



64 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY* 

created, shall at length be removed, and be clad with 
another hue, much more pleasant and beau- 
tiful." l 

This, we repeat, was the generally received sentiment 
of the Church during the two periods of her greatest 
purity : the first, from the Apostle's times down to the 
Council of Nice, A. D. 325, and the second, at the 
Reformation. And, whatever may be the strength of 
prejudice of those who discard a doctrine simply be- 
cause it has grown venerable by age, we expect 
" better things" of those who profess to respect " an- 
cient authors " as the best witnesses for, and inter- 
preters of, u Holy ScriptureP Nor indeed shall we 
relinquish the hope, that both the one and the other 
may be brought to see the utter impossibility of har- 
monizing the Scriptural cosmogony of the creation 
with the scientific discoveries of phisiology, in any 
other way : not that our theory tends to derogate from 
the Mosaic account of the creation as an inspired pro- 
duction ; far from it — but that the physiological dis- 
coveries of the structure of our globe, furnish the only 
rational and tangible key by which to interpret it. As 
an handmaid to inspiration, it steps forward, and, by 
the rays of refraction, as collected from existing phe- 
nomena in the physical construction of the earth, elu- 
cidates and confirms it. 

What then, we ask, are some of these phenomena ? 
We answer, first, that whatever they are, we are to 
seek for them amid the wonders of the subterranean 

1. Cox's Millena. Ans. p. 39, 40. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 65 

world, in the form of fossils or petrifactions exumed 
from the various Strata, oat of which many of the 
secondary mountains, &c., of our globe is formed. 
Now, these fossil remains, bearing upon them the evi- 
dent stamp of vast antiquity, many have attempted to 
account for exclusively on the principle of those 
mighty changes effected in the present physical struc- 
ture of our globe, through the agency of the universal 
deluge. But, if it can be demonstrated that there are 
existing fossil phenomena, of the origin of which the 
universal deluge cannot furnish a satisfactory account, 
it is clear that they must have existed anterior to the 
deluge ; and if anterior to the deluge, as there was no 
such revolution in the physical world between the 
formation of man and that event, by which such fos- 
sils or petrifactions could by any possibility have 
been formed, we must date their origin anterior to the 
Paradisaical State ; and if anterior to the Para- 
disaical State, they could only have been formed by 
some mighty convulsions of nature, daring the period 
of the six days organization or formation of the mate- 
rial earth and heavens. This admitted, aiifl. beyond 
controversy, the six days organization of the material 
universe, must have been six periods of vast length. 

We proceed, therefore, to demonstrate, that the effects 
produced upon our globe by its subjection to the 
action (powerful and universal as it was) of the Del- 
uge, are totally inadequate to account for all the fos- 
silated phenomena extant. Now, no one pretends, so 
far as the writer is aware, that any of the genus o\ 
land animals which existed prior to the flood, became 
6* 



66 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

extinct by that event. 1 But, naturalists assure us of 
the extinction of whole genera, both of land and sea 
animals, and also of vegetables, neither of which 
could have existed between the creation of man and 
the flood, but the memorials of whose existence are 
transmitted to us in their present fossilated remains. 2 
And, that distinguished naturalist Cuvier, in his essay- 
on the Theory of the Earth, admits the possibility that 
there are many genera of sea animals yet unknown, 
but denies that it can apply to the larger genera of 
land animals, 3 which, as the reader will perceive, 
strongly corroborates the above statement. Then 
also, the Strata, in which these fossil remains are 
deposited, have been evidently torn and rent by some 
mighty convulsion of nature ; and though it be ad- 
mitted that this was the effect of the deluge, yet it is 
clear that the strata themselves must have existed 
prior thereto. Finally, allowing the hypothesis, that 
fossil remains, which are of such prodigious extent 
11 as to form even whole masses of secondary moun- 
tains, were all the effects of the general deluge, how 
are we to account for the fact, that, of the millions of 



1. Consult Gen. vi., 19—22; vii., 2, 3, 8, 9; viii., 19. 

2. Mr. Faber on this subject observes — It is possible, I allow 
that many genera of marine animals, as yet unknown to naturalists, 
may even now be in existence : but it is next to impossible, that any 
genera of the larger land animals should still be in existence, and 
should nevertheless have hitherto remained concealed from human 
observation. See this matter well discussed in Cuvier's Essay on 
the theory of the earth. § 25, p. 61. 4th Edit. Treat, on the three 
Disp. Vol. L, p. 122, 123. 

3. Theory, &c. p. 61 — § 25. Ed. the 4th. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 67 

human beings "who perished at that time/' the " pro- 
per fossilized" remains of not even one of them 
should ever yet have been found among that 
mighty mass ? l 



1. It is quite undeniable, says Mr. Cuvier, that no human remains 
have been hitherto discovered among the extraneous fossils: and 
this furnishes a strong proof, that the extinct races, which are now- 
found in a fossil state, were not varieties of known species, since the)' 
never could have been subjected to human influence. 

When I assert, that human bones have not been hitherto found 
among extraneous fossils, I must be understood to speak of fossils 
or petrifactions properly so called : as, in peat depositions or turf 
bogs and in alluvial- formations as well as in ancient burying 
grounds, the bones of men, with those of horses and other ordinary 
existing species of animals, may readily enough be found; but 
among the fossil paleotheria and elephants and rhinoceroses, the 
smallest fragment of human bone has never been detected. Most 
of the laborers in the gypsum quarries about Paris are firmly per- 
suaded, that the bones they contain are in a great part human: but, 
after having seen and carefully examined many thousands of those 
bones, I may safely affirm, that not a single fragment of them has 
ever belonged to our species. I carefully examined at Pavia the 
collection of extraneous fossil bones brought there by Spallanzaiii 
from the island of Cerigo: and, notwithstanding the assertion of that 
celebrated observer, I affirm that there is not a single fragment 
among them that ever formed part of a human skeleton. Every 
where else, the fragments of bone, considered as human, have been 
found to belong to some animal, either when the fragments them- 
selves have been actually examined, or even when their engraved 
figures have been inspected. Such real human bones, as have been 
found in a fossil state, belonged to bodies, which had fallen into 
crevices of rocks or had been left in the forsaken galleries of ancient 
mines and were covered- up by incrustation: and 1 extend this asser- 
tion to the human skeletons, discovered in Guadeloupe, in a rock 
formed of pieces of madrepore throws up by the sea and united by 
water impregnated with calcareous matter. 

Every circumstance, therefore, contributes to establish this post- 



68 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

These considerations we deem of such importance 
to our general argument as not to allow that they 
should be viewed simply in the light of collateral 
evidence of the fact, as to the great antiquity of our 
globe. Cuvier on this subject observes, that it is only 
to the investigation of the relations of extraneous fos- 
sils with the strata in which they are contained, that 
we owe the commencement even of a Theory of the 
earth : as, but for them, we could never have even 
suspected that there had existed any successive 
epochs in the formation of our Earth, and a series of 
diiferent and consecutive operations in reducing it to 
its present state. By them alone we are enabled to 
ascertain, with the utmost certainty, that our earth 
has not always been covered over by the same exter- 
nal crust: because we are thoroughly assured, that 
the organized bodies, to which these fossil remains 
belong, must have lived upon the surface, before they 
came to be buried, as they now are, at a great depth. 
Now, having, in accordance with this statement, de- 
monstrated, the existence of fossil remains of extinct 



tion : that the human race did not exist in the countries, in which 
the fossil bones of animals have been discovered, at the epoch when 
these bones were covered tip; as there cannot be a single reason as- 
signed, why men should have entirely escaped from such general 
catastrophes, or, if they also had been destroyed and covered over at 
the same time, why their remains should not be now found along 
with those of the other animals. Essay ou the theory of the earth, 
§30., p. 128 — 133. 

A fossil human skeleton from Guadaloupe, but pronounced to be 
O recent formation, is now in the British Museum. 

1. Theory of the Earth. § 23., pp. 54 : 55. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 69 

marine and land animals and vegetables, it remains 
that we adduce evidence, as already observed, of the 
impossibility of harmonizing the scriptural cosmogony 
of the creation with these scientific discoveries of phy- 
siology in any other way, than by a comparison of 
the statements of the one, with the existing pheno- 
mena as developed in the order of stratification of the 
other. And, in order to this, and for the sake of 
greater perspicuity and accuracy, we will present a 
brief of the order of formation of each of the six days 
or epochs consecutively, as laid down in the Mosaic 
Cosmogony. The primitive rocks are represented as 
being first separated from the chaotic waters ; plants 
and herbs are formed next ; then fishes ; then birds ; 
next, land-animals and reptiles ; and finally, man. 
Now, upon the supposition, that the six days of for- 
mation as given by Moses, were each periods of vast 
length, i. e., of length sufficient to produce the fossil 
remains of marine and land- animals and vegetables as 
above represented, then these fossilated remains must 
be found to exist in the same order*of stratification 
continuously, with that in which they are said to 
have been at first organized. In other words, they 
must " follow each other upward in the precise order 
of the Mosaic Narrative." Accordingly, thus we find 
it. The structure of our srlobe in the order of stratifi- 
cation, presents to view first, the primitive rock or 
granite, entirely free from all fossil remains : next (o\~ 
low fossil plants and vegetables : next, fossil fishes ' 
next, fossil birds : next, fossil land-animals and rep" 
tiles. Human fossils, none. From this order, except 



70 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



indeed that occasional intermixtures may occur, there 
is no variation. 

We shall now proceed to classify the Mosaic cos- 
mogony of the creation, and the order of formation of 
the six days, with Cuvier's classification of the series 
of strata, with their extraneous fossils, reckoning up- 
wards from the primitive rocks ; after which, we shall 
assign the reasons, on physiological data, for the occa- 
sional deviations from this order, discoverable in the 
intermixtures of strata, as given in the table of that 
writer. And, for the purpose of perspicuity, we shall 
arrange the two accounts in opposite columns, thus, 



Mosaic Cosmogony. 

I. First day. Separation of 
light and darkness. 

II. Second day. Separation of 
air and water, 

III. Third day. Separation of 
land and water. 

First appearance of primary 
rock, in the early part of this pe- 
riod. No fossil remains. 

Middle part of this period, ve- 
getables. Trees, p^nts, herbs. 



Oavier. 



IV. Fourth day. Sun, moon, 
and stars. 

V. Fifth day. Fishes and Birds. 



Primitive Rocks. 
ganic remains. 



No fossil or- 



Transition Rocks. First ap- 
pearance of fossil shells and corals. 
First sandstone or old red sand- 
stone and old red conglomerate. 
Fossil wood. First limestone or 
mountain limestone. Fossil corals 
and shells. Coal formation. Im- 
pressions of plants, many with a 
tropical aspect. New red conglo- 
merate. 



Second limestone, ormagnesian 
limestone. First appearance of 
fossil fishes, and of fossil oviparous 
quadrupeds. Second sand-stone, or 
new red sand-stone. Fossil shells, 
corals, and vegetables. Third lime- 
stone or Jura oolite and lias lime- 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



71 



VI. Sixth duy. 
tiles, and Man. 



Beasts, Rep- 



stones. Fossil shells, coral, lacertce, 
fishes, and vegetables. Third sand- 
stone, or green sand. Fourth 
limestone and chalk. Fossil 
shells, coals, lacertce, turtles, and 
fishes. Brown coal formation. 
Hertfordshire pudding-stone. 

Paris formation. First appear- 
ance of fossil remains of birds and 
mammiferous animals. Remains 
of extinct species of Elephant, Rhi- 
noceros, Hippopotamus, Tapir, Deer, 
Hyena, Bear. Fossil remains of 
the human species.* First appear- 
ance in this formation. 



VII. Seventh day. Sabbath of 
Rest. 



In speaking of the general conformation of our 
earth, Mr. Cuvier observes, that the lowest and most 
level parts of the earth, when penetrated to a very- 
great depth, exhibit nothing but horizontal strata, com- 
posed of various substances, and containing, almost all 
of them, innumerable marine productions. Similar 
strata, with the same kind of productions, compose 
the hills even to a great height. Sometimes the shells 
are so numerous as to constitute the entire body of the 
stratum. They are almost every where in such a per- 
fect state of preservation, that even the smallest of 
them retain their most delicate parts, their sharpest 
ridges, and their finest and tenderest processes. Every 
part of the earth, each hemisphere, every continent, 
every island of any size, exhibits the same phenomena. 
We are therefore forcibly led to believe, not only that 
the sea has at one period or another covered all our 
plains, but that it must have remained there for a long 



* See note, p. 67, 68. 



72 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

time and in a state of tranquility, which circumstance 
was necessary for the formation of deposits so ex- 
tensive, so thick, in part so solid, and containing ex- 
uvice so perfectly preserved. 1 

Now, select, by way of illustration of the above, the 
work of the third day, which was that of bringing to- 
gether the granitic and earthy particles of the primitive 
aquatic elements, the former constituting thence- 
forward the primitive rock or skeleton of our globe, 
the latter, the soil with which it was covered. Then 
clothe this soil with vegetation — trees, herbs, and 
grass. You have now only to suppose this third day 
to be a period of vast length, and, as Mr. Faber 
remarks, the whole face of the earth, already separated 
from the waters, would soon become overspread with 
a rank and luxuriant vegetation : one generation of 
trees and plants would succeed another : a large accu- 
mulation of mould would be produced through their 
decomposition : and, either by one of those sudden 
and mighty revolutions which appear to have repeat- 
edly agitated this globe previous to the formation of 
God's last work man, or even (we may venture to 
say) in the ordinary course of nature itself, vast masses 
of fallen timber would be plunged beneath the surface 
of extensive bogs and morasses ; there, through the 
process either of stony accretion or of bituminous fer- 
mentation to be gradually transmuted, partly into fossil 
wood and partly into fossil coal. 2 



1. Theory, § 4, pp. 7, 8. 

2, Treatise on three Dispen, vol f , I, pp„ 131 , 132, 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 73 

The same argument may be also applied to the fifth 
and sixth days ; similar mundane revolutions producing 
similar effects. Then, too, the order of fossil strata 
must be expected to correspond with the order of these 
successive revolutions : i. e., fossil fishes and other ma- 
rine exuviae, together with fossil birds, must be depos- 
ited above fossil wood and fossil coal, as the products of 
the fifth day ; and those of fossil animals and fossil rep- 
tiles, above those of fossil birds, &c, as the products of 
the sixth day, which agrees precisely with the classifi- 
cation of Cuvier, as given on a preceding page. 

As to the intermixtures of fossil stratification as 
given in Cuvier's table, placing fossil shells and corals 
immediately next to that of the primitive rock, they 
cannot be accounted for on the diluvian theory l of 
that writer, which assumes u that the flood (Noah's 
flood) was produced by a complete interchange of 
land and water. For, first, the four Asiatic ante- 
diluvian rivers are [to this day] geographically mark- 
ed out and determined and identified by post-diluvian 
characteristics. " 2 And second, existing phenomena of 
the bones of landanimals, found under circumstances 
which prove them to have inhabited the precise re- 
gions * where these their relics have been discov- 



* These phenomena, says Mr. Faber, seem to me quite decisive 
as to the fact, that we now inhabit the very same tracts of land thai 
our ante-diluvian forefathers did, and consequently that we are not 
now living upon the bed of the ante-diluvian ocean. 

In various parts of the world, caves have boon discovered con- 

1. Essay on Theory of the Earth. § 34. p., 173, 171. 

2. Treatise on three Dis. vol I., p. 136, 

7 



74 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

ered." Still, it is beyond contradiction that we are now 
inhabiting the bed of a primeval ocean. Where then 3 
we ask, are we to look for the mighty convulsions oi na- 
ture productive of such interchanges of land and sea, 



taining numerous bones of land-animals, which certainly could not 
have been there deposited by the action of water. Hence the ob- 
vious inference is, an inference in truth drawn by Cuvier himself, 
that the animals, to which those bones belonged , must have lived and died 
peaceably on the spot where we now find them: and the propriety of this 
inference is further established by the nature of the earthy matter in 
which the bones are enveloped ; for, according to Laugier, it con- 
tains an intermixture of animal matter with phosphate of lime and 
probably also phosphate of iron. But, if this inference be well 
founded, then it is plainly impossible, that our present tracts of land 
can have constituted the bed of the ante -diluvian ocean : because, 
in that case, the animals could not, before the deluge, have inhabited 
the regions where their bones are now found ; such regions, accord- 
ing to the theory of Cuvier, having constituted the bed of the ocean 
as it existed immediately before the deluge. 

As the subject is of no small importance, the inference in ques- 
tion clearly confirming the Mosaical history which describes the 
present race of men as inhabiting the self-same tracts of land which 
were inhabited by their ante-diluvian forefathers, it may not be un- 
interesting to adduce some of the facts on which the inference is 
founded. 

1. Remains of the skeletons of animals are found in great abun- 
dance in limestone caves in Germany and Hungary. The bones 
occur nearly in the same state in all these caves ; detached, broken, 
but never rolled: and, consequently, they have not been brought 
from a distance by the ageney of water. They are somewhat 
lighter and less compact than recent bones, but slightly decom- 
posed, contain much gelatine, and are never mineralized. They 
are generally enveloped in an indurated earth, which contains ani- 
mal matter ; sometimes in a kind of alabaster or calcareous sinter: 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 75 

by which these interchanges and derangements of the 
regular order of fossil stratification have been produced ? 
Certainly, for the reasons above stated, not between the 
Creation of Man and the General Deluge! which, it is 



and, by means of this mineral, they are sometimes attached to the 
walls of the caves. These bones are the same in all the caves 
hitherto examined : and it is worthy of remark, that they occur in 
an extent of upwards of 200 leagues. Cuvier estimates, that rather 
more than three fourths of these bones belong to species of bears now 
extinct ; while one half or two thirds of the remaining fourth belong 
to a species of hyena. A very small number of these remains belong 
to a species of the genus lion or tiger: and another, to animals of 
the dog or wolf kinds. Lastly, the smallest portion belongs to dif- 
ferent species of smaller carnivorous animals, as the fox and pole- 
cat. It is quite evident, that these bones could not have been intro- 
duced into these caves by the action of water, because the smallest 
processes or inequalities on their surface are preserved. Cuvier is 
therefore inclined to conjecture, that the animals, to which they be- 
longed, must have lived and died peaceably on the spot where ice now 
find them. 

2. The relics of several species of Mastodans have been found in 
various parts of America. The beds, which contain them, are 
generally alluvial, either sandy or marly, and always near the 
earth's surface. In many places, they are accompanied with accu- 
mulations of marine animal remains: and, in other places, the sand 
and marl which cover them contain only fresh-water shells. The 
catastrophe, which has buried them, appears to have been a tran- 
sient marine inundation. The bones are neither rolled nor in 
skeletons ; but dispersed, and in part broken or fractured. They 
have not therefore been brought there from a distance by an inun- 
dation: but have been found by it in the places whore it has 
covered them; as might be expected, if the animals to which they 
belonged had dwelt in these places, and had there successively died. 
Hence it appears, that, before this catastrophe, these animals 
in the countries where we now find their bones. 



76 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

admitted, would prove totally subversive both of exist- 
ing phenomena and the verity of the Mosaic cosmogony! 
Now, we shall undertake to demonstrate from Cuvier 
himself, the utter fallacy of his diluvian theory, and, 



3. Exactly the same inference is drawn by Mr. Buckland from 
the teeth and bones of various animals discovered in a cave at 
Kirkdale, near Kirby-Moorside, in Yorkshire. The den of Kirk- 
dale is a natural fissure or cavern in the oolite limestone, extending 
300 feet into the solid rock, and varying from two to five feet in 
height and breadth. The bottom of the cavern is nearly horizon- 
tal ; and is entirely covered to the depth of about a foot w T ith a 
sediment of mud, deposited by diluvian waters. At the bottom of 
the mud, the floor of the cave was covered from one end to the 
other with teeth and fragments of bones of the following animals : 
hyena, elephant, rhinoceros, hippopotamus, horse, ox, two or three 
species of deer, bear, fox, water-rat, and birds. The bones are for 
the most part broken and gnawed to pieces : and the teeth lie loose 
among the fragments of the bones. The hyena bones are broken to 
pieces as much as those of the other animals. No bone or tooth 
has been rolled or the least acted on by water, nor is there any 
gravel mixed with them. The bones are not at all mineralized, 
and retain nearly the whole of their animal gelatine ; owing their 
high state of preservation to the mud in which they have been im- 
bedded. The teeth of the hyena's are most abundant: and, of 
these, the greater part are worn down almost to the stumps, as if by 
the operation of gnawing bones. Portions of the dung of the hyena 
are found also in this den, which on analysis, afforded the same 
constituent parts as that of canine animals. It is certain, that all 
these animals lived and died in the district ichere their remains are 
now found, in the period immediately preceding the deluge. The bones 
were carried into the cave, as food, by the hyenas ; the smaller ani- 
mals perhaps entire, the larger ones piecemeal: for by no other 
means could the bones of such large animals as the elephant, rhino- 
ceros, and hippopotamus, have arrived at the inmost recesses of so 
small a fissure, unless rolled thither by water ; under which circum- 
stance the angles would have been worn off by attrition, which is 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 77 

as a consequence, its insufficiency to account for the 
above named phenomena. In his essay Mr. Cuvier says 
that, if there is any circumstance thoroughly estab- 
lished in geology, it is, that the crust of our globe has 
been subjected to a great and sudden revolution, the 
epoch of which cannot he dated much further back 
than five or six thousand years ; that this revolution 
had buried all the countries which were before inhab- 
ted by men and other animals that are now best 
known ; that the same revolution had laid dry the bed 
of the last ocean, which now forms all the countries 
at present inhabited. * Again, Speaking of a succes- 
sion of revolutions as having visited our globe, Mr. 
Cuvier makes the following remarks ; but, what is still 
more astonishing and not less certain, there have not al- 
ways been living creatures on the earth ; and it is easy 
for the observer to discover the period at which animal 
productions began to be deposited. 2 Finally, Mr. Cu- 
vier in treating of the subject of existing fossil remains of 
extinct animals, &c, says, it is quite undeniable, that no 
human remains have been hitherto discovered among the 
extraneous fossils ; and this says he, furnishes a strong 
proof, that the extinct races, which are now found in 



not the case. See Jameson's Notes subjoined to Cuvier's Essay, 
p. 364 — 369, 385 — 387. 

So far as I can judge of evidence, the above is decisive as to the 
question whether we are now inhabiting the bed of the oceSLD as it 
existed immediately before the deluge. Treat, on throe Disp. vol, 
I., p. 136—140. 

1. Theory of the earth. § 34, p. 173. 

2. Ibid. § 6, p. 17. 



78 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 

a fossil state, were not varieties of knoivn species since 
they never could have been subject to human influence. 
And farther on he says, every circumstance, therefore, 
contributes to establish this position : that the human 
race did not exist in the countries, in which the fossil 
bones of animals have been discovered, at the epoch 
when these bones were covered up ; as there cannot 
be a single reason assigned why men should have en- 
tirely escaped such general catastrophies ; or, if they 
also had been destroyed or covered over at the same 
time, why their remains should not be now found 
along with those of the other animals. l 

Now, in regard to the first of the above quotations, 
that Mr. Cuvier is speaking of the effects of the Univer- 
sal Deluge, there can be no doubt : for the quotation not 
only contains within itself, a summary of his diluvian 
theory, but it stands in immediate connexion with what 
he says of the escaping from the effects of that great 
revolution, of the small number of individuals oimen 
and other animals, that have since propagated and 
spread over the lands then newly laid dry. 2 To this, 
as further evidence, we may also add, that, since that 
catastrophe, no other revolution by any possibility can 
be named, i. e., within the dates which he assigns to 
it, at all adequate to produce, as he pretends, an entire 
interchange of land and water. Then again, says Mr. 
Cuvier. — Before this catastrophe, men and other ani- 
mals inhabited those very countries, submerged by the 
above superabounding waters ; which most certainly 



1. Essay on Theory of th? Earth, § 30, p. 128—133. 

2. Ibid. § 34. p., 174. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 79 

must have resulted in the destruction of men as well as 
other animals. And yet Mr. Cuvier says in the third 
quotation, that no human remains have been hitherto 
discovered among the extraneous fossils : which cir- 
cumstance, he says, contributes to establish this posi- 
tion : that the human race did not exist in the coun- 
tries in which the fossil bones of animals have been 
discovered, at the epoch when these bones were cov- 
ered up. 

Unless we greatly misjudge, the reader would con- 
sider it no enviable task, to attempt a reconciliation of 
such palpably conflicting statements. A great physi- 
cal revolution, producing an entire interchange of 
land and water — the land being previously inhabited 
by men and other animals, all of whom, except a 
very small number, being lost in the catastrophe — 
and yet, in after ages, when the fossil remains of these 
animals are discovered, human beings are denied to 
have previously existed, because no fossil human 
form is found among other discovered fossil animals ! 

But, herein we are furnished with a most striking 
evidence of the lamentable defectibility of human 
reason, in the application of the sciences to existing 
phenomena, when relied upon as a guide in our search 
of truth, to the exclusion of Revelation. The truth 
is, while, in the developements of the science of phy- 
siology, strong collateral evidence is furnished of the 
verity of the Mosaic cosmogony, there are bounds set to 
human reason in its application thereto, beyond which 
it cannot pass. See this fact illustrated in Mr. Cuvier's 
statements regarding the date of the commencement 



80 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

of his diluvian period, at which time the process of 
fossil formation must have begun. Speaking of this 
latter process he says, it is easy for the observer to dis- 
cover the period at which animal productions began 
to be deposited. l And yet, the nearest point of ap- 
proximation to it is, not much farther back than five 
or six thousand years. But, this calculation, at five 
thousand years, would place his diluvian epoch at 
about A. M. 950 ; at six thousand, it would maka it 
anterior to the Mosaic cosmogony of the creation of 
man ! It remains, therefore, for the candid reader to 
decide, whether he will reject the authenticity o( the 
sacred narrative on account of this single apparent dis- 
crepancy of the science of physiology therewith, when 
every other part of the discoveries of that acute phi- 
losopher, as well as others, undesignedly, no doubt, 
on his and their part, conspire to confirm it. The 
reader therefore cannot but perceive the force of the 
following logical conclusion, from the pen of the 
learned Faber. Speaking of this diluvian theory of 
Cuvier, he says, that it is so wholly irreconcilable 
with the Mosaical history both of the ante -diluvian 
world and of the deluge itself and of the post-diluvian 
world, in which the four Asiatic ante -diluvian rivers 
are geographically marked out and determined and 
identified by post-diluvian characteristics, that it can- 
not for a moment be admitted by any consistent be- 
liever in the scriptural verity. Nor is it more recon- 
cileable with the actually existing phenomena of the 

1. Essay on Theory of the Earth, § 6. p. 17. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 81 

bones of land animals, found under circumstances 
which prove them to have inhabited the precise re- 
gions where these their relics have been discovered : 
for, had the regions in question been the bed of the 
ante-diluvian ocean, it is clear that no land animals 
could have inhabited them. 1 

All difficulties accompanying our researches into 
available facts, however, vanish, when the develope- 
ments of physiological science, as far as known, and 
the Mosaic narrative of the Creation, &c, are viewed 
together. Oryctological discoveries demonstrate, that 
the various succession of strata in which fossil forma- 
tions are deposited, as they ascend upward from the 
primitive rock, in which no fossil remains whatever 
are to be found, have undergone the process of severe 
ruptures; which circumstance proves that they 
existed prior to whatever cause produced them. And 
admitting, as we do, that these ruptures might have 
been produced by the catastrophe which attended our 
globe at the time of the universal deluge, they were 
quite sufficient to effect those very intermixtures of 
fossil formations, deposited in their respective pre- 
viously existing strata, as given in the classification of 
Cuvier. Here again, we quote Mr. Faber. Rents 
and ruptures, and disarrangements, he says, may be 
continually observed in the several strata of fossil 
bodies ; which disturb their regularity, and which 
have evidently been produced by some mighty con- 
vulsion. And, he continues, whether that convulsion 

l. Three Dispen. L, p. 136. 



82 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

was produced by the deluge, or whether it preceded 
the deluge, (for in either case the result of the argu- 
ment will be the same,) the fossil remains, which con- 
stitute these strata, must have existed anterior to the 
deluge, and consequently cannot be the effects of the 
deluge. 1 

In regard to those mighty convulsions of nature 
through which our globe has passed, resulting in suc- 
cessive, and, for ought we know to the contrary, 
frequent interchanges of land and water, Mr. Faber 
says, the perpetual discovery of fossil fishes and of 
other exuviae in the very centre of the largest conti- 
nents, deposited above the strata of fossil wood and 
vegetables, sufficiently demonstrates, with respect to 
one of these revolutions, not merely that the waters of 
the Ocean must have passed over those continents, 
but that the continents themselves must at some re- 
mote period have been the permanent bed of the 
Ocean : for, as physiologists are well aware, a tempo- 
vary inundation is wholly insufficient to account for 
the phenomena which present themselves. This ap- 
peal of Mr. Faber to physiologists is thus responded to 
by Mr. Cuvier. We are, says he, forcibly led to 
believe, not only that the sea has at one period or an- 
other covered all our plains, but that it must have 
remained there for a long time and in a state of tran- 
quility ; which circumstance was necessary for the 
formation of deposites, so extensive, so thick, in part 

l. Three Dispen. I., p. 123. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 83 

so solid, and containing exuviae so perfectly pre- 
served. 1 

Under these circumstances, therefore, says Mr. 
Faber, the result is obvious. We now inhabit the 
bed, indeed, of a primeval ocean, but, not of the ante- 
diluvian ocean : because, according both to actually 
existing phenomena and to the inspired history in 
its plain and obvious construction, we noio inhabit the 
very same tracts of land, (allowing for those smaller 
alterations, which a convulsion like the flood would 
of course produce,) that our ante-diluvian predecessors 
formerly inhabited. Therefore the primeval ocean, 
whose bed we now inhabit, must have been an ocean, 
which, as thus situated, was in existence prior to the 
creation of man. 

On such necessary grounds, I conclude, says Mr. 
Faber, that the sea and the land must, to a certain 
extent, have changed places (and that too for a suffi- 
cient length of time to produce existing phenomena) 
in the course at least of the fifth day of the creation, to 
say nothing more of those yet more ancient revolu- 
tions which have apparently occurred during the 
lapse of the third and the fourth days. 2 

1. Essay on Theory, &c, § 4, p. 8. 

2. Three Dispen. I., pp. 134, 130, 140, 141. 



84 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 



SECTION IV, 



But it is still urged, that we have as yet omitted to 
give, in round numbers, the whole period of the Sab- 
batic Rest of the Almighty, as the period which, ana- 
logically, was to determine the length of each of the 
six demiurgic days. Of this fact we are fully aware. 
Nor is it compatible with our present purpose to say 
more than to state the simple fact, that the seventh day, 
as the sabbatic repose of the Almighty, embraces the 
round number of six thousand years. Dating the 
course of fulfilment of the predicted events of Daniel 
from the commencement of the seventy prophetic 
weeks, l and adding the aggregate amount of time to 
that which preceded that date, and it gives you the 
number of six thousand years. Now, if, within this 
period, all the events which God before declared 
should take place, actually transpires, what follows ? 
What, but the expiration, the breaking up of His ad- 
ministration as the Preserve?* and Governor of this 
world, physical and moral, and the introduction of a 
new order of things ? Yes, and it was this very truth 
that the apostle Peter, when preaching to the Jewish 
murderers of our Lord, set forth in the following pathet- 
ic strain : " Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that 
your sins may be blotted out, when the times of re- 
freshing shall come from the presence of the Lord : and 
he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preach- 
ed unto you : whom the heavens must receive, 

UNTIL THE TIMES OF RESTITUTION OF ALL THINGS, 
1. Chap, ix., 24 — 27. 



introductory essay. 85 

which God hath spoken by the mouth of 
all his holy prophets, since the world be- 
GAN." 1 

While, therefore, it is reserved for a subsequent part 
of this Treatise to furnish the Scriptural evidence at 
large, showing that the Almighty has affixed to his 
" determined times " a limited and definite period, we 
shall now presume upon its admission, and proceed at 
once to lay down the two following inferences. First, 
if the seventh day, as the sabbath of rest to the Al- 
mighty, exceeded the length of a natural or solar day, 
then, by analogy of language, each of the six pre- 
ceding days must have exceeded the length of a natu- 
ral or solar day. And second, that if the seventh day 
of the Almighty's repose embraced the period of six 
thousand years, then, by analogy of reasoning, each 
of the six preceding days must have embraced a 
period of six thousand years. The result, therefore, 
of the principles of exposition adopted in this Treatise 
is, that besides the vast and indefinite period which we 
assign to the divine agency over the chaotic elements 
of creation, the whole period of organization or forma- 
tion during the six days, amounts to the definite period 

Of THIRTY-SIX THOUSAND YEARS ! 

From this conclusion, however, the learned Faber, 
in his treatise on the Three Dispensations, dissents. 
Having, in his usual style of reasoning, (which, by the 
way, is generally marked with a force, a cogency of 
logical demonstration common to but few modern wri- 



1. Actsiii. 19 — 81, 
S 



86 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY, 

ters,j asserted the principle here laid down, not only 
that there should be a distinction made between the 
work of creation and that of organization or formation; 
but that the six days assigned by the cosmogony of 
Moses thereto, should be extended to six demiurgic 
periods, he still treats those periods as of varying and 
consequently indefinite length. It is difficult, how- 
ever, for us to conceive why one day, the first, for in- 
stance, should be supposed to embrace a period of 
three thousand years ; the third, of five thousand ; the 
fifth, of seven thousand, and the intermediate days of 
proportionate variation ; and especially if, by analogy 
of language as he asserts, these days are to be under- 
stood " homogeneously ;" * adopting, as he does, the 
seventh day as the criterion of measurement to the 
rest Now, of this seventh day he says, that it is in 
truth a period commensurate with the duration of the 
created universe. 2 And again, that it is a period of not 
less duration than six millenaries, 3 i.e. of six thousand 
years. Here then, so far as his authority goes, we are 
safe in our estimate of the seventh day at six thousand 
years ; for it is not of less duration than six millena- 
ries. Wherefore, then, this doubt as to the distinct 
limits set to the duration of the created universe? 
Why, what that duration will be, says he, no one 
knows save the Father only ; 4 in proof of which he 
quotes St. Matthew, chapter xxiv., verse 36. But this 
passage, as we shall prove in its proper place, does not 

1. Faber's Trea. vol. I., p. 112. 
2. Treatise, &c. vol. I., p. 116. 3. Ibid, p. 117. 4. Ibid, p. 116. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 87 

relate to the limits set to the created universe : — it 
speaks of the period of the second advent of Christ; 
which, as the Scriptures teach us, is to precede the 
destruction of the present earth and heavens, the time 
of which, between the present and its actual consum- 
mation, as to the day and hour, (not the year,) is 
known only to the Father. And we now assert, and 
challenge proof to the contrary, that the period of the 
second appearing of Christ, in its day and hour aspect, 
is the only period, in unfulfilled prophetic chronology, 
concerning which, it can consistently be said that 
there is any uncertainty. The diiference between the 
chronology of the Hebrew and Samaritan versions of 
the Scriptures, of which Mr. Faber speaks, 1 will here- 
after receive due attention, and the reasons assigned 
why precedence should be given to the former. 

In conclusion I would observe, that the misappre- 
hension of the import of a single passage of Scripture, 
as that of Matthew xxiv. 36, has, to my mind, involved 
this part of the above learned treatise in a style of com- 
position, the tendency of which is to defeat \ in a mea- 
sure, its own object, by undermining whatever of pre- 
vious convictions may have been produced. The wri- 
ter says — " With respect to the analogy of language, 
we are told, that the Lord fashioned the world in six 
days, and that he rested on the seventh;" which 
analogy of language, he says, requires us to under- 
stand these days homogeneously. And then lie puts 
the question, as to " what specific (or, as I suppose 

1. Treatise, &c. vol. 1., p. 117.' 



88 INTRODUCTORY ESS'AT. 

definite) period it (i. e. the term day) describes in the 
Mosaic history of the creation V to which he adds — 
" for, just as we understand one of these days, so must 
we understand them all f l i. e. if one day (the seventh) 
is a natural or solar day, so are all — or if one day (the 
seventh) is not less than six millenaries, so are all. 

Now, from premises thus assumed, one would natu- 
rally enough be led to look for specific results. Yet 
under the argument for the extension of the six demi- 
urgic days, as founded in the discoveries of physiolo- 
gists, he speaks of these " six creative days " as being 
" six periods of vast, though to us unknown duration ;" 2 
and farther on he makes " each a period of more than 
six millenaries." 3 But this he thinks is all satisfacto- 
rily accounted for in the indefinite import of the origi- 
nal Hebrew word day, which that word in English so 
imperfectly expresses. 4 But we ask whether, because 
a word in scriptural phraseology is considered equivo- 
cal, i. e. that in one place it may mean one thing, and 
elsewhere it may mean another, that therefore its true 
and definite sense cannot be ascertained? No biblical 
scholar will admit this for a moment. The subject 
with which it stands connected is the key to unlock its 
import. Indeed, it was this very mode of interpreta- 
tion which Mr. Faber adopted in the commencement of 
his investigations of this subject. Sometimes, says he, 
it (the term day) denotes a single revolution of the 
earth round its axis : sometimes it denotes a revolu- 

I. Treatise I. pp.112, 113. 2. Ibid, pp. 120, 121. 3. Ibid, p. 126. 
4. Ibid, vol I., pp. 119, 120. 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 89 

Hon of the earth round the sun, or what we call 
a natural year : l sometimes it denotes a whole mil- 
lenary : 2 sometimes it denotes a period of probably 
great, but of wholly indeterminate length ; 3 &c. 
Now, let the reader turn to the passages referred to, 
and see if, in each instance, there is not a specific, de- 
finite sense given to it. 

Here therefore, we shall retrace our steps, in order 
to a recapitulation of the argument, that each of the 
six days organization or formation of the previously 
created chaotic elements mentioned in the cosmogony 
of Moses, must have greatly exceeded the length of a 
natural or solar day. 

Our first argument was founded on the ordinary 
and obvious process of organization as therein de- 
scribed, which we illustrated by a comparison of the 
work of the third day, the period of organization of 
the vegetable family, with those of the fifth and sixth 
days, which were appropriated to the formation of 
fishes, birds, animals, reptiles, and finally, Man. 
For, as the products of vegetation on the third day, 
were the only means of sustenance to all animals not 
carnivorous, &c, they must either have been formed 
by miracle in a mature state, (which we have de- 
monstrated could not be,) or else time must have been 
allowed them for their naturaUgrowth. 

1. Num. xiv., 34; Ezek. iv., G; Dan. xii., 11, 1*3; Rev. xi., 3, 9 ; 
xii., 6. 

2. Ps. xc, 4; 2 Pet. iii., 8. 

3. Isa. ii., 12 ; xiii., G ; Joel i., 15 ; Zeph. i., 7, 8 ; IS j Mai. iv., 5 ; 
1 Thess. v., 2: 2 Per. iii., 10. 

8* 



90 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

But we adopted the latter conclusion, on the 
ground that, as the sacred historian informs us, " God 
made every herb of the field, before it grew," 1 i. e., 
before it sprouted or germinated ; and if herbs, then 
by parity of reason, plants also : on which principle, 
without the intervention of a superfluous miracle, all 
animals dependant on them for food, would have an 
abundant supply as soon as required, they not having 
been formed till the fifth and sixth days ; while, on 
the contrary supposition, except by miracle, they 
must all have perished from hunger. 

Our next argument for the extension of the six 
days to six periods, was founded on the physiological 
structure of our globe. Under this argument we pre- 
mised, first, that the popular opinion that the first 
creation was stamped with absolute perfection, was 
contrary not only to the opinion of the Church in her 
best and purest ages, but also to fact — for, 

1. Existing fossil remains, found amid the wonders 
of the subterranean world, as they cannot be ac- 
counted for on the principle of the universal deluge, 
none of the genus of land-animals which entered by 
pairs into the Ark which Noah having, by that ca- 
tastrophe, become extinct, it follows that they must 
have existed prior to that event ; and if so, then prior 
to the creation of Man ; evidence of which is fur- 
nished from the fact, first, that the Strata in which 
these fossils are deposited, have been deranged, 
which proves them to have existed prior to the deluge, 

X. Gen. ii., 4, 5, 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 91 

even if produced by it : and second, that among 
the fossil extant remains, though millions of human 
beings perished by the flood, no relic of the fossil hu- 
man form is to be found. 

We then argued, that these animals must have 
lived upon the surface of the earth, before they 
came to be buried, as they now are, at so great a 
depth. And hence, that a knowledge of the science 
of physiology was indispensable to a knowledge of the 
structure of our earth, and of the successive epochs 
of its formation. 

Here, however, arose a difficulty, viz. : — that of 
harmonizing the Scriptural Cosmogony of Moses 
with the extant fossil discoveries of the science of 
physiology, as it relates to the order or arrangement 
of the respective fossil strata from the primitive rock 
upward ; for, the statements of the one, must cor- 
respond with the development of facts of the other, or, 
the scriptural verity must be called in question. 

This matter, however, has been fully brought to 
view, by a comparison of the order of the six days 
formation of the material heavens and earth as given 
by Moses, with the order of fossil strata as set down 
in Cuvier's physiological table, between which, as we 
have shown, there is an exact correspondence, with 
the exception, that what Cuvier cannot account for in 
the intermixtures of fossil strata upon the principle of 
his diluvian theory, is fully explained by the cosmo- 
gony of Moses; which cosmogony, taken in con- 
nexion with the developments of the above science, 
shoivs most conclusively^ that there must of necessity 



92 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

have been several successive interchanges of land and 
water before the creation of ma?i, producing these 
stupendous results, of which the universal deluge was 
wholly inadequate. 

The conclusions therefore are as follows, 
1st. That each day of the six, as mentioned by 
Moses, must have greatly exceeded the length of a 
natural or solar day, or a day of twenty-four hours. 
And, 

2nd. That, if our animadversions on Mr. Faber's 
theory regarding the length of each of the six days 
formation of the several parts of the universe be cor- 
rect, as founded, homogeneously, on the length of the 
seventh day, (the length of that day, as we shall show 
in the sequel, being definitely determined,) then each 
of these six days are of definite and uniform length. 

SECTION V. 

There is, however, an objection still urged that 
Moses cannot be the author of the books ascribed to 
him, which objection we should at this time examine 
in all its bearings, in its direct relation to the Penta- 
teuch, but for the fact that it is directed with equal 
force against the entire body of Scripture, by such as 
consider them the invention of a subtle priesthood. A 
single refutation of the cavil, therefore, as applicable 
to " all Scripture," will be deemed the most effectual 
method of vindication of its several parts. 

The maxim of justice is, that fraud is in no case 
to be presumed, but proved. This charge, however, 
is preferred by the objector not only, but the burden of 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 93 

evidence which it is his business to adduce in its sup- 
port, is thrown upon the advocates of Christianity} 
with a challenge to demonstrate the authenticity of the 
several parts of Holy Writ, as bearing the names of 
their respective authors, as also the time when they 
respectively flourished. To this course, however un- 
reasonable, they submit. This premised, we observe, 
that the sin of this portentous charge, the charge of 
fraudulency in the production of the Bible, is peculiar 
to the reckless hardihood of the last preceding century. 
We shall now venture upon a proof of the authen- 
ticity of the several books of the Old Testament and 
of the New, " by the very same evidences that infi- 
delity itself admits as conclusive in every similar in- 
quiry ; and we begin by asking the objector whether 
he has any ancient books, the authors of which are 
handed down to our time, without any serious dispute 
or cavil ? and to this inquiry we must be answered 
yes, several — - the histories of Herodotus and Thucy- 
dides, the poems of Homer, the works of Xenophon, 
Lucien, Plutarch, Epictetus, and others of the Greeks ; 
Cicero, Caesar, Virgil, Horace, Tacitus, Sallust, Pliny, 
and others of the Latins ; some of them long before, 
some at the same period, and some a very little after 
the books of the dates of the New Testament. We 
now ask how the objector knows that these classic 
works were written by the authors whose names they 
bear? The answer is, because they have been handed 
down to us without any contradiction or dispute, bus 
the works of these men ; because they are recognised 
and appealed to by all the other writers who have 



94 INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 

lived since their day, and by each other ; because a 
conspiracy so extensive, in favor of a literary fraud, is 
highly improbable, not to say impossible in its nature ; 
and because, had it been possible, there was no motive 
of interest to induce any one to attempt it. 

Now, this is precisely our argument in favor of 
Moses, as the author of the Pentateuch, and conse- 
quently of the Creation of the World, the Origin of 
Mankind, &c. ; and so of all the other writers of the 
inspired volume. 

Thus, then, at this stage of our advance, have we 
demonstrated, 1st, that the universe, a little speck of 
which we inhabit, &c, is not eternal. 2nd, that the 
antiquity of the sacred records is antecedent to all 
others, whether Hindoo, Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, 
or Etruscan. 3rd, that the six days of creation and 
of formation of the material earth and heavens men- 
tioned in the first chapter of Genesis, are not six natu- 
ral or solar days, but periods of vast and stupendous 
length ; and 4th, that Moses, and the other writers of 
the Old and New Testament are the authors of the 
histories whose names they bear. 

Our conclusion, therefore, is, that the Bible is not 
only the best, but that it is the only source whence we 
are to derive information respecting the chronolo- 
gy of the world ; or, in other words, to determine 
in round numbers, the point of time upon ivhich we 
now stand, in the successive evolutions of God's dis- 
pensations to man. 

Thus much have we deemed serviceable, if not, in- 
deed, essential, to a right understanding and apprecia- 



INTRODUCTORY ESSAY. 95 

tion of the subject before us ; which, we again repeat, 
is to determine the age of the world, as educed from 
the chronological records of Scripture, historic and 
prophetic, from the creation and fall of man to the 
final restitution of all things ; to a consideration of 
which we invite the serious attention of the reader, as 
set forth in the two following lectures. 



LECTURE I. 

AGE OF THE WORLD, &c. 

Matt. xxiv. 3. 

" And as he sat upon the Mount of Olives, the 
disciples came unto him privately, saying, tell us 7 
when shall these things be ? And what shall be the 
sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world ? n 

The subject of this Lecture, and the passage as just 
read, and upon which the lecture is founded, is, The 
Age of the World, as educed from the chronological 
records of Scripture, Historic and Prophetic, from the 
creation of man to the final " restitution of all things." 

As preliminary to the elucidation of this subject, we 
considered it as indispensable, that we meet, and use 
our endeavors to remove, those principles antagonistic 
to the sentiment which it involves. The antagonistic 
principles named by us were, those of the Atheist, who 
asserts an eternity as well to the origi?i as to the 
existence of the world : of the Antiquarian, who 
claims a vastly greater antiquity to this world than 
that set forth in Scripture : and of the Infidel, who, 
even though you demonstrate the age of the world by 
the Scriptures, yet will deny their authenticity, and 
consequently their authority. 

Against the system of Atheism, whether in its 
Christianized form, as advocated by Grotius and 
9 



98 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 

Vatabulus ; or in its undisguised form, whether after the 
model of Aristotle or Spinoza, we argued a " begin- 
ning " of existence to this universe, a small part of 
which we inhabit, in the following manner : We as- 
sumed as self-evident the following propositions, viz : I 
exist — I am not the author of my existence — Hence, 
I must be a created being. And, the being who gave 
me existence, must be self-derived, or, like me, derive 
his existence from another. If the latter, then I argue 
about him as about myself, and so continue to argue, 
till I arrive at that being who does exist of himself, 
and who, consequently, must have always so existed. 
This Being I call, the Eternal God. I then trans- 
fer this argument to the material universe, thus : the 
creation of this universe argues design — design ar- 
gues intelligence. And, the Atheist admits the exist- 
ence of mind, of intellect, as well as of matter. Mind, 
intellect, however, is superior to matter. But, matter, 
of itself , cannot give existence to matter : how then, 
to mind ? And, as my own existence, and that of the 
universe, argues design, and design, intelligence, all 
must have originated from the will of the Supreme, 
Infinite Intelligence, the Eternal God. 

Against the system of the Antiquarian, we asserted 
an antecedent antiquity in behalf of the Bible as the 
text book of Chronology, by the following arguments, 
viz : — 

First, the coincidence of ancient profane with sacred 
history — 

Second. The same, of the ancient systems of phi- 
losophy ; all of which, until perverted by the Greeks ? 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 99 

were founded upon the knowledge which they derived, 
first, from the oral traditions of the ante-diluvian Pat- 
riarchs, and second, from the written records of the 
Mosaic cosmogony — and. 

Third. The utter failure of all the philosophers of 
Greece, from the period of Hesiod, Homer, Linus, &c* 
even Aristotle not excepted, to originate any new 
system, which, so far from proving the fallacy of the 
old traditionary philosophy, could not even give a rea- 
sonable account of the first principles of which it was 
constructed. Finally, 

Fourth. That what was true of the ancient histo- 
rians and philosophers, as to the source (viz. tradition) 
whence they derived their knowledge, was true also of 
Moses ; unless, indeed, he wrote by direct divine inspi- 
ration — and if he did not thus write, as a few gene- 
rations conduct us back to the first man, Adam, as he 
could not account for the manner of his own existence, 
and that of the universe which existed before him, 
these facts must have been to him matters of direct 
divine inspiration. 

Against the system of the Infidel, we argued the 
authenticity of the Scriptures as bearing the names of 
their respective authors, including that of Moses, upon 
the very same ground of evidence which he admits as 
conclusive in every similar inquiry ; e. g., that they 
have been handed down to us uncontradicted and un- 
disputed — that they were quoted by each other, and 
by successive writers — because such a literary fraud 
was not only improbable, but impossible, there being 
no motive of interest adequate to induce it. 



100 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

This reasoning, taken as a whole, brought us to the 
following conclusion : — that the Bible is not only the 
best, but that it is the only source (and, if the above 
reasoning be correct, that source is infallible) whence 
we are to derive information respecting the chronology 
of the world. 

With the ground they prepared before us, the pre- 
ceding, and all other objections to the contrary not- 
withstanding, we now proceed in this first lecture to 
assume the two following propositions, viz. : 

I. That God in his infinite wisdom has as- 
signed TO THE WORLD WHICH WE INHABIT, BOTH IN 
RELATION TO ITS PHYSICAL AND MORAL CONSTITU- 
TION, A LIMITED AND DEFINITE DURATION; and, 

II. That this limited and definite dura- 
tion OF THE WORLD, AS COMPREHENDED UNDER 

three successive dispensations, patriarchal, 
Jewish, and Christian, is a subject fully 

REVEALED TO God's PEOPLE IN HIS WORD. 

"And as He" (Jesus) " sat on the Mount of 
Olives" (which rose on the east of Jerusalem, l in 
three peaks, the most northerly of which is the highest 
point above the city,) " the disciples came unto him 
privately" (because He had said to them on a pre- 
vious occasion 2 K It is given unto you to know the 
mysteries of the kingdom of heaven ; but to them [i. e. 
that are without] it is not given, &c.) " Saying, tell 
us" (as our divinely omniscient teacher who " know- 
est all things," 3 yea, even " the end from the begin- 

1. Zech. xiv., 4. 9. Matt.xiii., 11—17. 3. Johnxvi.,30. Isa. xliri., 10. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 101 

ning",) " when shall these things be ? and what 
s hall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the 
world ?" 

The blessed Jesus, having in the preceding chapter, 
(xxiii) administered the severest reproofs to the carnal 
and unbelieving Scribes and Pharisees, closes it with 
his memorable lamentation over them, in view of that 
terrific doom at that moment suspended over their 
guilty heads, as by a hair. At the opening of the 
twenty-fourth chapter, our blessed Lord, having left 
the Temple, meets his disciples, who proffer to him 
their services to show him all the magnificent build- 
ings of the holy city. x Immediately thereupon Christ 
proceeds to utter a declaration of their destined des- 
truction. " Verily, I say unto you, there shall not be 
left here (of all the buildings of the Temple) one 
stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down? 2 
These are the "things" more immediately compre- 
hended in the interrogation of the disciples to Christ, 
regarding the time of their fulfillment ; but included 
also his declaration of his Second Advent, as contained 
in the last verse of the preceding chapter, " For I 
say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye 
shall say, blessed is he that cometh ("6 iqexo/utsrog that 
is about to come,") 3 in the name of the Lord ;" which 
has an undoubted reference to the following prediction 
of Hosea, " For the children of Israel shall abide many 
days without a king, and without a prince, and 



1. Matt, xxiv., 1. 2. Matt xxiv., 2. 

3: Ramsy's Second Coming:, p. 96, 

9* 



102 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

without a sacrifice, and without an image, and without 
an Ephod, and without teraphim : afterwards, shall 
the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their 
God, and David their king : and shall fear the Lord 
and his goodness in the latter days? l Hence they 
add, " and what shall be the sign of thy coming ? n 

But we must here observe, that the disciples " could 
not conceive " that the above predicted ruin of their 
temple " would ever take place, except with the ruin 
of the world, 17 2 which they considered (and rightly, 
too,) would be simultaneous with, because consequent 
upon, his coming. Hence the reason why " the sign," 
spoken of as an object of special inquiry, was consi- 
dered by them as a sufficient prelude of both events. 

" In answer, and by way of giving them to under- 
stand that much was yet to happen before his coming, 
or the end of the world," 3 the Redeemer proceeds to 
utter the very elaborate prediction contained in the 
twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of St. Mat- 
thew's gospel, which, by the way, we here remark, 
are to be taken together ; the twenty-fifth chapter be- 
ing but a continuation of the twenty-fourth ; the fol- 
lowing synopsis 4 of which it will be of use here to 
insert. 



1. Hosea iii., 4, 5. 2. Hare's Christ to Return, p. 46. 3. Hare, Ibid. 
4. This synopsis of the twenty-fourth and twenty-fifth chapters of 
St. Matthew's Gospel, 1 have taken the liberty to transfer to my 
pages entire, from the veiy judicious and well-timed exposition of 
the prophecy contained in them, by the Rev. G. Ember Hare, Rec- 
tor of Trinity Church, Princeton, N. J., in his recent work, entitled, 
" Christ to Return," a work which I would recommend to all 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 103 

"To preserve his disciples from mistaking for "signs" 
of his coming, and of the end of the world/' occur- 
rences which must be before the end came, the Savior 
begins by naming some of these occurrences, viz. : 

I. The rise of adventurers who would claim to be 
the Christ, and might be mistaken for Jesus of Naz- 
arath re-appearing, [verses 4 and 5 of chap, xxiv.] 

II. Outbreaks in nature, and among nations, [verses 
6—8.] 

III. Trials to the Church, [verses 9 — 13.] 

IV. The announcement of the gospel to all nations, 
[verse 14.] 

V. Destruction to the holy city, [verses 15 — 28.] 

VI. Prolonged disaster and desolation to the holy 
land, [verse 29, Luke xxi. 25 — 26.] (after which,) 

VII. The Savior proceeds, by declaring that " the 
sign of his coming, and of the end of the world," — 
" the sign of the Son of Man," — may be looked for 
when the occurrences just mentioned shall all have 
come to pass , and not before, [verses 30 — 31.] (He 
then) applies the doctrine he had taught concerning 
" things which must be before the end comes." [verses 
32, 33.] — Predicts that the seed or generation he ad- 
dresses shall survive all these things, [verses 34, 35.] — 
Declares his return will take men by surprise, [verses 
36 — 39.] — Predicts a rending of the most intimate 

who love and look for " the speedy appearing of Christ with his 
saints." I rely on the indulgence of that Rev. Gentleman far the 
liberty taken in italicising some portions of the above M synopsis." 
and also for the addition of the numerals, references to verses, ficc, 
embraced in brackets. 



104 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

relations, [vereses 40, 41.] — (And,) compares his dis- 
ciples, 

1. To a man whose house was to suffer attack. 
[verses 42 — 44.] 

2. To a head servant, [verses 45 — 51.] 

3. To ten virgins, [chap, xxv., 1 — 13.] 

4. To dependants trusted with capital, [vrs. 14 — 30.] 
The Savior concludes by depicting the scene to 

take place at his return, [verses 31 — 46.] 

In view, therefore, (as we now come to ask,) of the 
interesting occurrences which, according to the above 
prediction of Christ, were to take place between the 
destruction of Jerusalem and the second advent of 
Christ, together with the end of the world, or present 
constitution of things : — rather in view of all the dis- 
pensations of God to our world, from the creation of 
man to the final restitution of all things ; as the con- 
stantly recurring interrogatian of the primitive disci- 
ples to their Divine master, whether we will or not, 
forces itself upon our attention, with an accelerated 
power proportionate to our convictions, defined or un- 
defined, of the tendency of all things to a crisis : we 
come, I say, to ask, shall we attempt to fix upon the 
point of time in round numbers, upon which we now 
stand, in the successive evolutions of God's dispensa- 
tions to man ? 

At such an attempt, we have said, many " who pro- 
fess and call themselves Christians," are shocked. 
Such an undertaking is denounced as presumptuous, 
even though we aim at but a tolerable degree of cer- 
tainty in these premises. There is an evident popular 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 105 

reluctance, as well on the part of professors of religion, 
as of the mere worldling, to scan this subject. Nor, 
considering the circumstances which originate a large 
proportion of the prevailing disinclination to rely, with 
any confidence, on deductions of historic and pro- 
phetic chronology, can we profess much astonishment. 
Of these circumstances, as deserving a passing re- 
mark, is, 

I. The abuse of the subject, consequent of the 
prevailing fanaticism which has accompanied it. 

We are reminded of a statement in Mossheim's Ec- 
clesiastical History, that in the tenth century the 
priests and monks of the Latin Church openly taught 
to the people the immediate approach of the day of 
judgement, on the ground that the one thousand years 
millennial rest of the church, spoken of in the Revela- 
tions, had then expired ; and that, spreading itself 
with amazing rapidity throughout the European pro- 
vinces, it produced among the people the deepest an- 
guish, consternation, and dismay. But, besides omit- 
ting to advert to the thick and gloomy mantle of su- 
perstition which at that time covered the whole of 
Christendom; the motive of the evident deep laid scheme 
of the mercenary priesthood who originated the delu- 
sion, is also passed over in silence. What, however, 
were the facts ? Simply these — while under this de- 
lusion, prodigious numbers of the people flew with the 
utmost precipitancy to Palestine, as the place destined 
for the re-appearance of Christ, as the judge of men, 
the sacerdotal and monastic orders remained quietly 
at home; on the one hand, to seize upon the luxuriant 



106 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

lands, and abundant treasures of their former oc- 
cupants and possessors, and on the other, to reduce 
vast numbers of those who remained to a species of the 
most abject ecclesiastical slavery ', under the plea that 
in that capacity they were the servants of God's im- 
mediate vicegerents on earth, and could not fail to 
purchase thereby a mitigation of their sentence from 
the great Judge. 

Numerous similar pretensions, though of less noto- 
riety, have transpired at different intervals, and in dif- 
ferent countries, from that day to the present, and with 
like results ; i. e., they have produced the conviction 
that they were the fruits, either of crafty and design- 
ing men, or of a spirit of misguided and reckless fa- 
naticism. 

But, I would deferentially ask — are we hence to 
conclude that God's purposes are so deeply veiled in 
the darkness of uncertainty, as that we dare not " take 
in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those 
things which he hath spoken by the mouth of all his 
holy prophets since the world began ? " l We as de- 
ferentially answer, No ! We say, " secret things be- 
long unto the Lord our God ; but things that are 
revealed to us and to our children." 2 And now, 
of that Book called the Apocalypse, and which, ac- 
cording to the current view, has been, is now, and 
ever will be to the Church, a deep and dark enigma : 
We ask, what is its name ? " The Revelation !" not 
the secret, but the " Revelation of Jesus Christ, 

1. St. Luke, i., 70. 2. Deut. xxix., 29. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 107 

which God gave unto him." But for what purpose ? 
" To show unto his servants things which must 
shortly come to pass ; and he sent and signified it 
by his angel unto his servant John." l And almost the 
very first words indited by the Spirit, and penned by St. 
John in this Revelation, is, " Blessed is he that read- 
eth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, 
and keep those things which are written therein." 2 
And as of this prophetic book, so of all the other pro- 
phets. " All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, 
and is profitable for instruction" — is designed "for 
the edification" of those " of the body of Christ," who 
" speak the truth in love" 3 

At the commencement of this article we adverted to 
the abuse of the subject of prophecy, consequent of 
the prevailing fanaticism which accompanied it. We 
now say that this holds signally true of every promi- 
nent prophecy, fulfilled or unfulfilled, from 
the days of Christ down to this time, and so will con- 
tinue down to " the end." 4 Our divine Lord and 
his Apostles all spake of the false prophets, 5 false 
Christ's, 6 and false teachers, 7 that would infest the 
Christian Church in all ages. Of the first and last of 
these, besides many false prophets who appeared be- 



1. Rev. i., 1. 2. Rev. i., 3. 3. Eph. iv., 15. 

4. Dan. vi., 26; vii., 26; ix., 26; Matt, xxviii., 20; 1 Cor. L, 8 ; 
Heb. iii., 14; Rev. ii., 26. 

5. 2 Pet. ii., 1 ; Luke vi., 26 ; Matt, vii., 15 ; xxiv., 11, 94 ; 
Mark xiii., 22. 

6. Matt, xxiv., 5 ; Mark xiii., 6 ; Luke xxL, 8. 

7. 1 Tim. i., 7 ; 2 Tim. iv., 3 ; 2 Pet. ii., 1. 



108 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



tween the ascension and the destruction of Jerusalem, 
during the first two centuries, of the principal heretical 
teachers the number that sprung up amounted to about 
one hundred and forty. 1 Of the false Christ's who 
have appeared at different times, and in different places, 
during the interval from the ascension down to the 
seventeenth century, there have been between twenty 
and thirty ! 2 and it is a fact well worthy of observa- 
tion, that the appearances of these false Christ's in 
every instance, was preceded by an expectation on the 
part of the people, of some approaching crisis. Thus 
it was with the Apostles and Christians primitively. 
They expected that a comparatively short interval 
would elapse between the First and Second advent. 
This circumstance, therefore, opened the icay for 
the appearance of the false Christ's of their day, and 
exposed them to delusion. Hence the declaration of 
the Redeemer to them, "Many shall come in my 
name, saying, I am Christ, and shall deceive 
many." 3 They " shall deceive, if it be possible, the 
very elect." 4 

What, then, do these facts argue ? Certainly this, 
viz. : that every great truth of God, as they unfold 
his purposes, and their adaptation to the successive 
periods of his dispensations to " the end," would be 
counterfeited by false pretenders. And shall we, can 
we say, that this age and day is to be exempt from 
the prevalence of such false pretenders ? Nay, verily. 

1. Simpson Key to the Prop. pp. 142—157. 2. Ibid, pp. 127—142. 
3. Matt, xxiv., 5. 4. Matt, xxiv., 24. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 109 

Look abroad at this moment. In the far west a stand- 
ard is raised — and a loud welcome, wafted by every 
wind that blows, and falling upon the ear like 
the shrill blasts of a trumpet, invites us to flock 
around it, as the subjects of the deluded founder of 
of the eternal city, Nauvoo. The fanatical spirit of 
a Joanna Southcoate lives, and is destined to spread, 
we cannot now tell to what an extent, in the founder 
of the recently erected Mormon Empire. Some forty 
thousand are already collected together in and about 
the city of Nauvoo, Illinois, from various lands, and 
are prostrating themselves before the shrine of a 
mortal, claiming regal equality with our now absent, 
but long-looked-for, and speedily returning Lord and 
Master ! 

Oh ! at every peril, we shrink not from raising the 
voice of admonition ; of raising the beacon of alarm ! 
We, therefore, proclaim to you in the long-standing 
predicted admonitory language of Jesus, " If any man 
shall say unto you, lo, here is Christ ; or there, behold, 
he is in the desart f or, " behold, he is in the secret 
chambers;" "believe it not — go not after them. " l 
No, my brethren ; the King of Zion is still seated on 
his mediatorial throne, where he is interceding for us 
at the right hand of God ; and, ere he ascended thither, 
He deposited in His Church an infallible directory for 
the conduct of her members, till he come again. Here 
it is, " Occupy till I come ; ?1 2 in other words, 
continue in the respective spheres in which providence 



1. Matt, xxiv., 26. 2. Luke xix.. 13, 

10 



110 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 

hath placed you, being " diligent in business, fervent 
in spirit, serving the Lord, " till I come again" to 
" receive you to myself." 

To add the greater impressiveness to this reflection, 
I take the liberty to quote the following from the pre- 
face of the Rev. Mr. Hare's " Christ to return," by the 
Right Rev. L. S. Ives, D. D., of North Carolina. He- 
says : — 

In proportion as the mind is animated by a persua- 
sion of success, will be its preparedness for vigorous, 
patient, and untiring exertion. This is felt to be a 
principle of such efficacy, as to have been called in to 
sustain effort and quicken zeal in all great undertak- 
ings. Even the religion of the Son of God, instinct 
as it is with Almighty energy, has not thought this 
principle unworthy of its regard, in promoting a spirit 
of magnanimity and endurance in its friends. If we 
turn to the birth-place of the Christian faith, we may 
hear the Divine teacher cheering the hearts of the dis- 
ciples in their hard conflicts with the world, the flesh, 
and the devil, by the promise of being, at last, more 
than conquerors. His first act, as he led them forth, 
was an act of triumph over the Prince of Darkness l — 
thus settling their confidence in his power to accom- 
plish the deliverance of his people. : while such acts, 
to the same end, were constantly repeated before their 
eyes during his earthly ministry. 2 And when he 
opened to them the scenes of bitter trial through which, 



1. See Temptation of Christ, Matt. iv. 

2. Matt, vii., 28 j ix., 32, et passim. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 111 

for his sake, they must pass — scenes so contrary to 
their hopes, so overwhelming to their fears — he sought 
to quiet their alarm, and confirm their wavering trust 
by revealing to them the scenes of glory that would 
follow : — ■" Look up and lift up your heads, for your 
redemption draweth nigh f l " Let not your hearts be 
troubled — ~ I will come again, and receive you unto 
myself." 2 True, you shall see me " led as a lamb to 
the slaughter." 3 Though " despised and rejected of 
men, a man of sorrows," 4 and a victim of the most 
cruel sufferings — bleeding at every pore and writhing 
in every limb, yet unappalled at the fearful expiation, 
I shall proceed " to give back to the smiters," 5 u my 
flesh for the life of the world." 6 Yes, you must wit- 
ness " the hour and the power of darkness 5" but u let 
not your heart be troubled," the day of my exaltation 
and of your rejoicing hastens. Soon you shall see me 
lay aside the priestly garments, the badges of my 
bloody sacrifice, my deep humiliation ; and gird on 
the sword of my might. " Death shall be swallowed 
up in my victory ;" 7 and in the face of a gazing world 
I will ascend, " leading captivity captive," 8 to " the 
place of my glory." Nor is this all : / will come 
again ; and this very earth, which is to witness 
the scene of my agony, and hear the cry of my distress, 
shall yet behold the brightness of my coming, 9 and 
bend beneath the sceptre of my kingdom. 10 True, 



1. Luke xxi., 28. 2. John xiv.,1— 3. 3. Is. liii., 7. 4 Ibid, liii., 3. 

5. Ibid, 1., 6. G. John vi., 51. 7. 1 Cor. xv, 54. 8. Eph. iv . - 

9. 2Thess. ii., 8. 10. Is. ix., 7; Ixiii., passim. Thil ii, 10. 
Rev. I 1. 



112 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

" you shall be called before governors and kings for 
my sake ;" " yea, the time cometh, when he that kill- 
eth you, will think that he doeth God service." l But 
" let not your heart be troubled ;" I vAll come again : 
will come unto you : will endue you with " the spirit 
of my glory :" 2 " will give you a mouth and wis- 
dom, which all your adversaries shall not be able to 
gainsay nor resist." 3 " No weapon formed against 
you shall prosper." 4 Yes, " I will come again, and 
your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh 
from you." 5 " Ye have followed me, and in the re- 
generation, when the Son of Man shall sit in the 
throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve 
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." 6 Such 
is the enrapturing view unfolded by our Lord to his 
sorrowing disciples ; such the bright vision of final 
victory, under power of which he left them " to con- 
tend earnestly for the faith." The effect was such as 
might have been looked for. No sooner had he ascend- 
ed, than the voice of these very disciples, just now 
sunk in despondency, is raised, as if in echo of his 
own exulting strain, to the highest note of encourage- 
ment. The timid are nerved, the sluggish aroused, 
the recreant filled with terror, by constant and thrilling 
appeals to the fact, that " the coming of the Lord 
draweth nigh :" that He who once u came to visit us 
in great humility," would soon return in all the ma- 
jesty of the Godhead, " to call the world from the 



1. John xvi., 2. 2. 1 Pet. iv., 14. 3. Luke xxi., 15. 4. Is. liv., 
17, 5. John xvi., 22. 6, Matt, xix., 28., 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &G. 113 

rising up of the sun to the going down thereof : first, 
to gather together his saints unto Him in his ever- 
lasting kingdom ; and then to adjudge the wicked 
and impenitent to the horrors of an endless punish- 
ment. l 

A departure, therefore, from, or a neglect of, the 
ordinary avocations of life, when induced by a discov- 
ery of the above or any other truth, is an evidence 
that we " hold that truth in unrighteousness," 2 and 
that we are exposed to the danger of falling a prey to 
the demon of fanaticism. 

Here, again, we return to the subject of our more 
immediate concern ; and taking it for granted that we 
have satisfactorily disposed of this objection against 
prophetic exposition in general, or of prophetic time 
in particular, as predicted of its fanatical abuse ; we 
observe, that the very expression of Christ, " Till I 
come," implies, (at least, as present to the mind of the 
Father, though at that precise juncture with-holden 
from the Son,) a fixed and definite time. But, at 
this point, the question again returns upon us : Is this 
fixed and definite time a matter of revelation ? In 
other words, Can we, do we know it ? 

We intend, brethren, by God's assistance, to dis- 
cuss this subject with the utmost candor and impartial- 
ity ; in order to which, we shall now lay before you 
every objection which, in our judgment, can be 
adduced as of any weight, against the practicability 

1. 1 Thess. v., 2, 3, 4. Acts xx., 32. 2 Tim. iv., S. 2 Tot. 
iii., 11 to end. Rev. last two ohapters. 2. Rout i-. 18, 

10* 



114 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

of attempting to attain to such certainty in these pre- 
mises. It is then objected, 

I. That the great diversity of opinion which pre- 
vail among expositors of the historical and prophetical 
portions of Scripture, in the department of chronology, 
renders impossible the attainment of any definite con- 
clusions, in reference either to the entire age of the 
world, or of the commencement and termination of 
particular dispensations. It is further objected, 

II. That prophetical time, as, for instance, the se- 
venty weeks of Daniel ix. 25, 26 ; the " time, times, 
and half-a-time," of the same prophet, chap. vii. 25 ; 
and the twelve hundred and sixty days, or forty-two 
months of Rev. xi., — &c. are mere expressions, de- 
noting indefinite periods, and not mystical numbers 
of specific dates. Hence, 

III. It is affirmed that we have no Scriptural data 
upon which to fix any definite period, as to " the 
end f which affirmation is founded on the following, 
and similar reasons, viz, : 

1. No prophecy, it is said, "directly declares," the 
great period of restitution as u far away" or, indeed, 
as extending beyond the " death " (temporal) of those 
to whom it was uttered. 

2. That " threatenings of woe" are denounced 
against any who presume upon a delay of the day 
of wrath. 

3. That this is further evident from those numer- 
ous passages which speak of that day as near at hand. 

4. That both Christ and his Apostles always evad- 
ed any direct answer to the repeated inquiries of their 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 115 



followers, respecting this point, and this, for the very 
obvious reason, that they did not know it themselves. 
And, finally, 

5. That, to suppose a revelation "to mortals" of 
any definite period in regard to the divine purposes, 
either past, present, or future, is inconsistent with 
the wisdom and benevolence of the Almighty. 

These, we flatter ourselves, will be found to cover 
the entire ground of objections deserving notice, raised 
against the scheme we are about to propose ; nor shall 
we attempt a reply to them consecutively, but proceed 
to the following preliminaries, as essential to the elu- 
cidation of our subject, incorporating answers to each 
as we advance. And, 

I. The source, or sources of authoratative data for 
information in these premises, deserve our most careful 
regard. 

Here, we remark, a wide field of investigation opens 
before us. We must, however, content ourselves with 
a simple reference to the two extant sources of depend- 
ence for the information we seek, viz,: the annals of 
sacred and profane writers. Of the annals of profane 
chronology, the following are the principal : First, the 
Egyptian chronographeon of Syncellus. Second, the 
Chinese records. Third, the Babylonian chronology. 
Fourth, the chronographia of Manetho. Fifth, the 
chronographia of Africanus. Sixth, the catalogue of 
Eratosthenes. Seventh, the chronicon of Euscbius. 
and, eighth, the chronicon of Alexandria* These. 
however, will all be dismissed with the single remark, 
that they are only of service in so far as they furnish 



116 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 

collateral evidence of the verity of sacred chronology, 
by an exhibit of the events of general profane history, 
as coincident therewith. As we have already demon- 
strated, whenever they claim an antiquity antecedent 
to that of the Bible, they are fabulous, spurious. * 

In the department of sacred chronology, we have 
the Samaritan, the Septuagint, and the Hebrew ver- 
sions. Of these, the last, viz., the Hebrew chrono- 
logy, claims the decided precedence, as will appear 
from what follows : 

1. The Samaritans, originally of the stock of the 
Cuthites, were the descendants of Cush ; transplanted 
from beyond the Euphrates into Samaria, by Esarhad- 
dan, King of Assyria, who appointed over them an 
Israelitish priest. But even with this advantage, they 
succeeded, in a measure, to blend idolatry with the wor- 
ship of the true God. Upon the Jewish restoration 
under Cyrus, they attempted, but without success, to 
effect a union Avith that people. Exasperated at this 
result, they imbibed a lasting enmity to the Jews; and, 
under Sanballat, their governor, with Tobiah and 
Geshe?n, after many ineffectual efforts to defeat the 
reformation under Nehemiah, and having ingratiated 
themselves into the favor of Darius Nothus, king of Per- 
sia, on a visit into Phoenicia, obtained a grant to build 
on Mount Gerizim, a temple like that at Jerusalem. In 
after ages, as Samaria now became a common refuge 
for refractory Jews, the Samaritans were made up 
principally of apostate Jews and their descendants. 

1, See on this subject, Introductory Essay. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 117 

But the Samaritans still professed the Hebrew relia 
gion, and retained a ritual service. They, however, 
retained nothing of the Old Testament Scriptures, but 
the jive books of Moses. Hence the Title of their 
version, — " the Samaritan Pentateuch" which was 
copied from the Hebrew original. 

2. The Septuagint version of the Scriptures is a 
Greek translation of the Hebrew of the Old Testa- 
ment. It was thus translated for the benefit of those 
Jews who, under Alexander and Ptolemy Soter were 
brought into Alexandria, for the building and adorn- 
ing of the city of that name ; they having in time 
lost the knowledge of their own language. The 
translation was commenced under Ptolemy Philadel- 
phia, about two hundred and eighty years before Christ, 
the principal editions of which are, the Alexandrian, 
and those of Philo, Justin Martyr, Epiphaneus, Ori- 
gen, Lucian, Aldus, Cardinal Zimenes, Pope Sixtus, 
Thecla, &c. 

3. The Hebrew Scriptures, therefore, being the 
foundation both of the Samaritan Pentateuch and the 
Septuagint version, has the precedence in point of 
time. But here comes up the question of precedence 
in point of authority, between the chronology of 
the Greek, and that of the Hebrew versions, the dif- 
ference from the Creation to the birth of Christ, being 
about one thousand five hundred years ! 

Now how is this to be accounted for ? We answer. 
in two ways, — 

1. The enlargement of the genealogies of the Pa- 
triarch's &c., either by the seventy themselves, or by 



118 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

some early transcribers ; the motive for which, as the 
learned contend, was, to produce a greater correspon- 
dence between the Scriptural antiquity of the origin 
of the created universe, and that claimed for it by the 
two Egyptian and Chaldean Annalists, Manetho and 
Berosus, and this, by way of an off-set against what they 
considered their high and extravagant pretensions. 
But, on the other hand, 

2. It is generally conceded as incontrovertible, that 
the Hebrew Chronology has also been corrupted ; the 
motive with the Jew being to furnish a refutation of 
the claims set up by Christ to be the true Messiah ! 
Nothing, they well knew, could so effectually prove 
that he was an impostor, as the pretence that the date 
of his nativity differed from the time specified by the 
old prophets. Then also, as most favorable to afford 
opportunities for such corruptions, was the circum- 
stance that, from the age of the Apostles to the days of 
Origen, a period of two hundred and thirty years, the 
Hebrew MSS. were in the exclusive custody of the 
unbelieving Jews. 

This is not the place to furnish the available proofs 
in detail, of these sources of corruption of Sacred 
Chronology. It must suffice us at present to observe, 
that while the genuineness of the Hebrew patri- 
archal chronology can be most clearly substantiated 
against the corruptions of the Septiiagint ; the Scrip- 
tures, taken as a whole, furnish internal evidence, as 
a corrective of the corruptions of the later chronology, 
by carnal Jews. 

With the ground therefore thus prepared before us 3 



AGE OP THE WORLD, &C 119 

and relying on the Scriptures of the Old and New 
Testaments as our guide ; and, in view of the objec- 
tions already adverted to, and all other and similar 
objections to the contrary notwithstanding, we now 
proceed to a consideration, more directly, of the two 
propositions at the head of this Lecture. 

I. God, in his infinite wisdom, has assigned 

TO THE WORLD WHICH WE INHABIT, BOTH IN RE- 
LATION TO ITS PHYSICAL AND MORAL CONSTITU- 
TION, A LIMITED AND DEFINITE DURATION. 

II. This limited and definite duration of the world, 
as comprehended under three successive dispensa- 
tions, Patriarchal, Jewish, and Christian, is a subject 
fully revealed to God's people in his word. 

And now, are any ready to start up as it were and 
say, " Can these things be?" l Does the incredulity 
of any prompt them to denounce the above positions 
as fanciful, as based upon vain speculations? Yea, 
more — do they denounce them as presumptuous and 
fanatical ? I intreat all such to pause — to suspend 
judgment — to hold their minds in abeyance — till 
we can give an answer for the hope that is in us, in 
the fear of God. 2 

In view therefore of this first proposition, we re- 
mark, that in Scripture, various forms of speech are 
used, to designate time ; one of which, though (as 
some may suppose) not immediately connected with 
the subject, yet deserves a passing remark ; and may 
serve, when properly understood, to disabuse the 

1. 1 Pet. iii., 15. 2. 2 Cor. v., 10. 



120 AGE OF THE WORLD, r &C. 

mind of a needless (though perhaps a harmless) mis- 
apprehension of a very interesting portion of sacred 
history. It is the term " day," as denoting the length 
of the Great Creator's week of labor and repose, as used 
in the first chapter of Genesis. " The evening and 
the morning were the first, second, third, &c, 
day." l The question respecting the term " day n as 
here used, is, whether it is a natural or solar day of 
twenty four hours, or a period of vastly greater 
length ? 

In conducting our inquiries in reference to this in- 
terresting subject, we have already remarked, that, 
reasoning analogically, Nature and Providence are 
gradual in their operations ; not like man, who is al- 
ways for subitaneous violence, but deliberately pro- 
ceeding, by gradual evolutions, as illustrated in the 
physical and intellectual powers of man, to unfold to 
our view, the properties, first, of matter, and then of 
mind. We now remark, that having applied this 
line of argument in our Introductory Essay, 2 a poste- 
riori, to the six days of creation, as furnishing evi- 
dence founded upon the physiological and oryctolo- 
gical discoveries of Science, that the six days of 
creation were periods of stupendous length, thereby 
showing their analogy with the works of God ; we 
now resume that argument, a priori, with a view to 
exhibit its entire harmony with what is set forth in 
the word of God. 



1. Gen. I., 5, 8, 13, 19, 23, 31 j Chap, ii, 2. 

2. pp. 47 — 83. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 121 



With the argument of Analogy therefore still in 
view, we proceed now to define the import of the 
term " day," as intended in our view to be understood 
by Moses in his cosmogony of the creation ; in order 
to which, we premise that few words in our English 
version of the Scriptures are more equivocal than this 
very term. In addition to its general acceptation, as 
signifying a single revolution of the earth round its 
axis, it will be found to denote, 

1. A revolution of the Earth round the Sun. 
Thus, — " after the number of the days in which ye 
reached the land, even forty days, (each day for a 
year,) shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty 
years" 1 

2. One thousand years, or a millenary. Thus, — 
"a thousand years in thy sight are but as y ester- 
day." 2 

3. A vast duration of indefinite time, as that now 
under consideration ; which is used to denote the 
whole of the six days, mentioned in Chapter first. 
" These are the generations of the heavens and the 
earth, when they were created : in the day that the 
Lord God made the earth and the heavens." 3 

It is therefore evidently by analogy of reasoning 
alone, that we can determine whether these terms in 
the first Chapter of Genesis signify a natural or solar 
day of twenty-four hours, or periods of vastly 
greater, but indefinite duration. 

With these prefatory remarks we now observe, that 



1. Num. xiv. } 34. 2. Ps. xc, 4. 3. Gen. It, 4. 

11 



122 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

by analogy, the term "day" including the whole 
seven, must be understood to embrace, (homogene- 
ously,) the same amount of time whether of longer or 
of shorter duration. The ascertained length of any 
one of these days, therefore, will give the length of 
each. 

The inquiry thence arising is this : — Upon which 
one of the seven, must our calculations inevitably 
rest ? We answer, on the last or seventh, the day 
on which God ended his work, and on which com- 
menced his sabbatical repose. 

Of this day, then, we affirm that it cannot be con- 
fined to a natural or solar day, or to a single revolution 
of the earth on its axis in twenty-four hours : and for 
the following reasons : — 

1. Our natural week of seven days, each of twenty- 
four hours, is but a standing- epitome, so to 
speak, of the greater week of the Creator's labor 
and repose. Hence its appropriation, by Divine ap- 
pointment, of six parts to the former, and of one (or 
the seventh) part to the latter, agreeably to the fourth 
commandment in the decalogue. 

Now, ever since the world has been inhabited by 
man, this standing epitome of the great demiurgic 
week of the Creator has exemplified a resumption af- 
ter the expiration of his sabbatical repose, of his Al- 
mighty energy, in the work of a second creation. 
For who, among the millions of the human race ever 
understood the fourth commandment as enjoining a 
total cessation of all labor at the close of the seventh 
day of rest ? And how, we ask, is the epitomised 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 123 

week to be made to correspond with its great arche- 
type, except that archetype, in the epitomised week 
by which it was symbolised, pointed to a period of re- 
sumption. 

Finally, on this subject, we remark, that of each 
of the six days of creation it is written, that " the 
evening and the morning were the day." The apostle 
Paul, in alluding to the six periods of creation, (Heb. 
i. y 2, and xL, 3, and McKnight's com.,) instead of call- 
ing them "days," calls thern ouwvec^ a word which 
our translators render " worlds" but which, in its 
true meaning, signifies " ages of immeasurable du- 
ration^ and the created beings which exist in them , 
or during their course. These aiwveQwexe, the six 
days of creation, and all that was produced therein." 
But respecting the seventh day, we find nothing written 
about u evening or 'morning." On the contrary, we 
find it expressly written, " In the day thou eatest 
thereof, thou shalt surely die." Now, we know, that 
immediate death did not follow the transgression. 
We know also that the penalty was to extend to 
all the sinful generations of men, from Adam, their 
federal head, to the end of time. " It is appointed 
unto men once to die." l " Accordingly, during the 
seventh day, the threat has been literally " in a course 
of fulfilment ; and this, in perfect accordance with the 
revealed character of the Almighty, as the Preserver, 
Benefactor, Governor, and Redeemer of men. 

We conclude, therefore, that the inference thence 

1. Hob. ix„ 87, 



124 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

arising is, that the Creator's sabbath of rest must ex- 
ceed that of a natural or solar day ; also, that it has 
never yet been interrupted for one single moment 
since its commencement ; nor will it be, till the last 
hour of the entire period shall have expired ! 

Previously, however, to our entering upon the work 
of assigning to this great day, this sabbath of the 
Creator's rest, a limited and definite duration, we 
must claim your indulgence of one preliminary, as 
indispensable in determining the date of its commence- 
ment. This preliminary is predicated of the claim 
of the pre-Adamites, who assert an existence for 
human beings anterior to that of Adam and Eve : in 
other words, they deny that Adam and Eve could 
have been the first progenitors of the human 
race. 

As a guide to our investigations of this subject, a 
more tangible form would be, to invest it with its phy- 
sico-theological characteristics. Then it would stand 
as follows : Are all who claim to belong to the human 
race of the same genus or species ? In other words : 
Have they a common origin ? 

Here, again, we find ourselves driven back into the 
vast, yea, almost unbounded fields of ancient annalists, 
both profane and sacred. Those, however, who heard 
in lecture form, and who have read our defence of an 
antecedent antiquity in behalf of the sacred writings 
over that of any or of all others, whether Hindoo, 
Egyptian, Chinese, Persian, or Etruscan ; and also, 
of our defence of the divinely inspired and conse- 
quent undeniable authenticity of the history of the 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 125 



creation and origin of mankind as given by Moses, in 
our Introductory Essay, will not require of us more 
at this time than simply to observe, that sacred history 
claims a priority over that of profane, by a period of 
about three thousand three hundred years ; Herodotus 
being the earliest profane post-diluvian historian ex- 
tant; that he flourished about one thousand years 
after Moses, and only about four hundred and fifty 
years before Christ ; and that the chronology of his 
history bears date only about seven hundred years 
anterior to the First Advent ; all of which shuts us 
up to the necessity of confining ourselves to the cos- 
mogony of the great Jewish historian, Moses, for all 
our information of this subject, prior to that date. 

Now, what is his account of this matter ? Simply 
as follows : In the twenty-seventh verse of chapter 
first of Genesis, we read, " So God created man in 
his own image ; in the image of God created he him ; 
male and female created he them." And in the 
seventh, eighteenth, twenty-first, twenty-second, and 
twenty-third verses of chapter second, we read, " And 
the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, 
and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life : and 
man became a living soul. And the Lord God said, it is 
not good for man that he should be alone : I will make 
him an help meet for him," &c. The last three verses 
relate to the mode of the creation of Eve. 

Now, it is here that we are met with the objection, 

that Adam and Eve could not have been the first 

progenitors of the human race. This objection, strange 

to tell, is founded upon an alleged contradiction of the 

11* 



126 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

very passages adduced above, in proof of the origin of 
the first human pair. In reply to this objection it is 
only necessary to say, that in this, as in other instances 
of the sacred narrative, the difference in these items 
of history are merely apparent, arising from the dif- 
ference between a general and a particular account 
of the same transaction. But the objector further 
urges : — Moses places in the geneological table of 
Adam only three sons, Cain, Abel, and Seth ; whence 
then, he asks, came the wife of Cain, if Eve, his 
mother, was the only woman living at the time of his 
marriage ? Upon this was predicated the hypothesis 
of Isaac de la Peyrera, A. D. 1655, of the existence of 
the pre- Adamites, To solve this difficulty, it is only 
necessary to be reminded that the direct design of 
Moses, in the above narrative is, merely to furnish us 
with the geneology of the sons (not of the daughters) 
of Adam, link after link, down to the second original 
family of the world, Noah and his sons, and with 
whom Cain's posterity had no connexion. This is or- 
dinarily the case in all history, as well profane as 
sacred. The male line only is important in matters 
of geneology. The mere circumstance of an omis- 
sion of any reference to females, is no proof that if 
there were any, that they must have belonged to a 
family other than that of Adam. In addition to this 
we add, that so far as reliance can be placed upon 
a tradition prevalent among the Jews to this day, to 
the family of Adam belonged many children, both 
male and female. Finally, Moses declares, that 
" Adam called his wife's name Eve, because she was 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 127 

the mother of all living ;" and St. Paul expressly 
calls Adam the first man, twice over. (See first Co- 
rinthians, xv., forty-fifth, and forty-seventh verses.) 
Admitting, then, the infallible accuracy of sacred his- 
tory, to what conclusion have we arrived? Certainly 
this, that whatever races of men do belong to the hu- 
man family, we can and must trace their origin back 
to the one first great progenitor, Adam. 

Still, one important part of our subject remains un- 
answered. The question, you will recollect, is, are 
all who claim to belong to the human race, of the same 
genus or species ? in other words, have they a com- 
mon origin ? Now, there are two Scriptural marks, 
by which such a claim may be preferred. The first 
is, the erect posture of the species. " God made man 
upright." But does it hence necessarily follow, 
that all animals who can walk erect are entitled to 
the above claim? We wait not a reply. By what 
other mark, then, is the line to be finally drawn? 
Answer, — By the endowment of intellectual and 
moral powers. Man, by the inspiration of the Al- 
mighty, " became a living soul ;" i. e., he was con- 
stituted an intellectual, a sentient being, and capa- 
ble, also, of volition. Again, " God created man 
in his own image and likeness f or, in other words, 
he was endowed with moral qualities, which, how- 
ever debased and degraded, were never, and can never 
be, destroyed. 

We have thus referred yon to two Scriptural 
marks, by which the above claim may be preferred : 
not, however, because they do not find their analogy 



128 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

in the works of nature. Physiologically, we may 
argue the justness of these claims to a common origin, 
in the anatomical organization and structure of the 
human frame. Not so certain, however, is the ar- 
gument founded upon the hereditary transmission 
of changes to which the human system may be 
subject; and we further venture the assertion, that 
if reason, if intellect \ if thought could be ascertained 
to be lodged within the brain of an Ouran Outang, 
it would be justly entitled to the above claim, though 
possessed of a different anatomical structure from 
that of the human frame ; while, on the other hand 
with all the advantages of such anatomical struc- 
ture, totally dispossessed of reason, of intellect, and 
of thought, there would be just grounds for a de- 
nial of said claim. How, then, will you dispose 
of the idiot ? To what genus or species does he 
belong ? Has he reason, intellect ? Can he think ? 
With all the anatomical organization, symmetry, and 
beauty of the human frame, it is said he is a perfect 
block. Ah, and how did you arrive at this fact ? We 
will dispose of the idiot thus : we will leave him in 
the hands of that Almighty Being who has been pleas- 
ed to consign to perpetual imprisonment, during natu- 
ral life, reason, intellect, thought, within the narrow 
cell of some millioneth part of a cubic inch of his 
brain. 

But, there is another case to which some may al- 
lude — it is that of a being in human form, by some 
strange casualty, torn, in infancy, from the parents of 
its common nature, and left to an uncertain fate in the 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 129 

midst of a dense forest, where it finds protection and 
nourishment for years from creatures whose native 
instinct has moved to succor rather than devour. 
This secluded being passes thus through the period of 
childhood and becomes a youth ; and, to all human 
appearance, upon its first recovery by its own native 
species, it furnishes indications of a total assimilation 
(except in anatomical structure) to its brutal protec- 
tress. But, is the original nature of the child, mental 
or physical, absolutely changed? totally changed? 
No — in every known instance among the few, where 
there has been a temporary suspension of the aliments 
naturally adapted to the nourishment of the human 
body, or the advantages of mental culture ; a restora- 
tion to its native atmosphere, and to the influence, 
physical and mental, of beings of a kindred nature, 
have never failed to rekindle the latent spark of rea- 
son, of intellect, of thought, which has long remained 
dormant. — Like the point of the magnet, it seeks af- 
finity with spirits of a common origin ; and, being 
brought in contact with these, you are led to a dis- 
covery of emanations of intellect, like fire from the 
ignited steel — of intellect, we say — not of instinct. 
Instinctive refinements are limited in their develope- 
ment, according to the various degrees of sagacity 
prevalent among the various tribes of " the brutes that 
perish." You talk of learned dogs, and hogs, and 
rib-nosed apes. All their astonishing feats, however, 
can by demonstration be shown as limited to the dis- 
ciplinary legerdemain of their catch-penny masters. 
There is nothing then in history — nothing in the 



130 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

physiological structure of animals of the brute crea- 
tion, assimilated as they may be in anatomical form, 
and in feats of instinctive legerdemain, to the erect 
posture and mental endowment of the human being : 
— nothing in those strange casualties which, in a few 
instances may have befallen our nature, that, by any 
show of consistency can prove either an amalgama- 
tion of natures of the lower with the higher order of 
created being, or assign to any of the latter an exist- 
ence prior to that of Adam. " God, that made the 
world, — hath made of one blood all nations of 
men for to dwell on all the face of the earth. n 1 

All therefore who claim to belong to the human 
race are of the same genus or species ; and, Adam 
and Eve are the original progenitors of all man- 
kind. 

With these general remarks, we proceed now to the 
inquiry, what period of time are we to assign to 
God's sabbath of rest ? When did it commence ? 
When will it terminate ? We now answer briefly, 
that it commenced, when " the heavens and the earth 
were finished, and all the host of them," 2 at the 
close of the sixth demiurgic day. As to its termina- 
tion, we reply, first, negatively, that it did not, be- 
cause it could not possibly have closed with any sup- 
posed resumption of the Creator's labors on the eighth 
natural day : otherwise how are we to reconcile the 
declared completion (Gen. ii., 1) of the whole ex- 

1. Acts xvii., 24, 26. 2. Gen. ii., 1. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 131 

tent of the material universe, with so early a crea- 
tion of something new ? 

Now, in order to determine the date, for the com- 
mencement, as already stated in brief, of the 
sabbatical rest of the Creator, we must once 
more advert to the six caoveg or periods, called 
" days, " of the Great Creator's work. Of the 
Mosaic history of this work, as contained in the 
first two chapters of Genesis, we remark, that "in 
the first chapter, no mention is made of the garden of 
Eden, nor the particular formation of the woman, nor 
of any negative command. . These circumstances are 
reserved for the second chapter. The first is a gene- 
ral sketch of primeval nature ; the second, a particu- 
lar sketch of what more immediately concerned the 
human race, anterior to the introduction of evil. 
The first is a remote view of a great territory ; the 
second, a near survey of a particular portion of it." 

" The whole history of the creation" therefore, 
" comprises the space of six days or periods : and the 
cosmogony itself, as the Jewish Rabbins very rightly 
place the division, reaches to the end of the third 
verse of our present second chapter ; " l thence, to the 
end of the second chapter, the history is supplemen- 
tary to that of the first. 

Now, uniting the two together, i. e., the general and 
supplementary histories, we learn the following facts 
— viz., 

1. That Adam was first created — placed in the 

1. Faber. Vol. I., p. 68. 



132 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

garden to cultivate it — and received his charge from 
the Aleim respecting the interdicted tree ; l and this 
charge, " while n he was " alone, he rigorously ob- 
served." We learn, 

2. That, following the creation of Adam, was that of 
Eve. 2 

3. We learn, — that the creation of Adam and Eve, 
the first human pair, was the last, the finishing pro- 
duct of God's handy-work. 3 Consequently, 

4. That they must have been created at the close of 
the sixth day or period, when, immediately upon 
the celebration of their marriage nuptials, (at which 
their creator himself presided, 4 ) and the announcement 
of his sacred benediction upon them, 5 we read as fol- 
lows — " On the seventh day God ended his work 
which he had made : And he RESTED on the se- 
venth day from ALL his work which he had 
made." 6 

This, then, is the point of time whence we date 
the commencement of the Almighty's sabbatical re- 
pose. But to this it may be objected, that, as with the 
commencement of this sabbatical rest of God, the 
theory under consideration dates also the commence- 
ment of this world's history ; and as, according 
to the above, it is evident that the sabbatical rest of the 
Almighty began while Adam and Eve were yet in a 



1. Com. chap, i., 26, with chap, ii., 8 — 17. 

2. Gen. ii., 18,— 20 — 25. 

3. Chap, i., 26, 27, with which com. verses 28 — 31. 

4. Gen. ii., 18 — 25. 5. Chap, i., 28 — 31. 6. Chap, ii., 2. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 133 

state of innocence, it is at variance with the current 
opinion, which dates the first year in the chronol- 
ogy of the world from the fall of man. To this ob- 
jection, however, we have only to reply, briefly, that 
it rests with the objector to prove that the fall did 
not take place during the year commencing with the 
paradisaical marriage of our first parents. What 
interval of time elapsed between the creation of Adam 
and Eve has nothing to do with the subject ; the ques- 
tion pending relating to the finishing of that work, 
which did not take place till the creation of Eve ; 
which, as we have shown, was immediately followed 
by their paradisaical marriage, and the bestowment 
upon them of the divine benediction. 

They were now left alone in the garden, to enter 
upon that state of moral probation, ordained of God 
as the test of their integrity. Adam, thus wedded to 
his paradisaical companion, entered upon a new, and 
previously untried field, for the exercise of his moral 
feelings. Eve, wrapped in the ecstacies peculiar to 
her refined sensibilities, gazed with supreme delight 
upon the enchanting objects which, scattered in luxu- 
riant profusion above and around her, met her full- 
orbed eye at every turn ; and, added to this, was the 
unutterable bliss of social converse between two be- 
ings of kindred natures, who as yet " knew no sin." 
Yes, as the immortal Milton sang, they were created, 

" For contemplation he, and valor foim'd : 
For softness she, and sweet attractive grace; 
He for God only ; she for God in him/' 

In a word, " Paradise was a condition, rather of 
12 



134 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

exquisite passive enjoyment, than of active moral virtue. 
It was but the infancy of nature, when she lay at rest 
on a bed of roses, undergoing a kind of rapture ; a 
state of natural fruition — without fatigue, without 
satiety." 

It was under these circumstances, therefore, that the 
Tempter came. Nor, reasoning from analogy, could 
he have granted a long reprieve to the innocent occu- 
pants of Eden from his infernal assaults. He felt, he 
knew, that "delays were dangerous." Not to enter 
into the details of the temptation, and its results, (with 
which, doubtless, you are all familiar,) the strongest 
possible motive to transgress, (the very motive which 
weighed with Satan himself while yet in heaven,) viz. 
" Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil," was 
at once presented ; predicated of the presumption, that 
by securing a preponderance in favor of sense and 
reason over that of faith, on the part of the fair ob- 
ject of his diabolical assault, he could not fail of suc- 
cess. Nor did he err. The declaration of God's word, 
" In the day thou eatest thereof thou shall surely 
die" to the eye of reason stood opposed to the doc- 
trine of man's immortality ; as symbolized by " the 
tree of life," which was planted in the centre of the 
garden, not only, but which seemed to be corroborated 
by that very impress of perfection, which stamped all 
the works of God. Briefly, we mean, that in a state, 
and at the dawn of original innocence, u by dint of 
Reason man could not foresee whether he should die 
or not. The art of the tempter, therefore, consisted in 
drawing the woman's attention " upon the dangerous 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 135 

ground of " Sense and Reason, separately and abstract- 
ed from from the word of God. When this was 
done, all was done : for the moment Eve began to re- 
gard Sense and Reason as a kind of testimony distinct 
and independent of God, her faith was gone. " 
When, therefore, her seducer said, "ye shall not 
surely die," keeping in view the circumstances just ad- 
verted to, we can easily discern how her reason, 
coupled as it was with her desire to " be as gods, 
knowing good and evil" triumphed over her faith. 

Upon the supposition, therefore, that the Paradisai- 
cal state, morally and intellectually, though perfect, 
yet admitted of an expansion of its powers ; " the fa- 
ther of lies," l measuring his prospect of success by 
the most suitable season for attack, invaded this 
newly erected empire of innocence, when the mind of 
the tempted one was most susceptible of the creation of 
a desire for instantaneous, universal knowledge. And 
what period, we ask, better adapted to that end than 
the first year of the Paradisiacal state? To our 
mind this is conclusive. We proceed, therefore, at 
once to observe, that the sabbatical rest of the Almigh- 
ty thus commenced, was destined to run coeval with 
the whole period of this world? s duration while under 
the curse, as divided into and comprehended under 
the three great dispensations, Patriarchal, Jewish, 
and Christian : and, that this whole period was to 
embrace the definite number of six thousand years. 

Here, however, we are met at once with the objection, 



1, John VMi., 11 



136 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



that the Scriptures no where express, in explicit 
terms, any such thing. But admitting this fact, which 
we do, are we hence to conclude that the Scriptures, 
in no sense, afford any light upon this subject ? By 
no means ; nor, as we shall prove, is the want of an 
explicit declaration of this fact any argument to dis- 
prove its full, precise, actual revelation. In order to 
this, it is only necessary to observe that there are in 
Scripture several other points of equal, and, indeed, if 
considered in connection with a knowledge of their 
adaptation to the wants of the church practically, of 
much greater importance, which are, nevertheless, left 
to stand upon the same ground, as matters of faith and 
of Christian observance, with the subject now before 
us. For instance : — The Divine institution of the 
Christian Sabbath — the Divine right of infants to 
baptism in the Christian Church — and of both sexes 
to participate in the symbols of the Holy Eucharist, 
are received by them upon the grounds of inference 
only, there being no explicit authority in Scripture 
for their belief. If, then, similar authority can be 
adduced from Scripture to prove that God has assign- 
ed a limited and definite period to his sabbatical 
rest, is it not the privilege — yea, more, is it not the 
duty of the Christian to know it ? Yes, my brethren, 
and this duty, if I mistake not, rests with a fearfully 
accumulated responsibility on us, " upon whom the 

ENDS OF THE WORLD ARE COME ! " l 

This objection to our inquiries removed, and as- 
l. l Cor. x., n. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 137 

sliming, as we now do, that the subject under consi- 
deration is fully susceptible of inferential proof from 
the Scriptures, before we advance to the argument as 
predicated of them, let us cast a sort of birds-eye 
glance over the opinions which have prevailed in all 
ages and among different nations, heathen, Jewish, 
and Christian, respecting this subject. And, 

1. The most ancient Brahmenical sages, speaking 
of the creative energies and the repose which ensued, 
of the Almighty, write thus — " He, whose powers 
are incomprehensible, having created the universe, 
was again absorbed in the Supreme Spirit, changing 
the time of energy for the time ef repose." l And, 
they add, " his night of repose continues as long as 
his day : " 2 i. e., of creative labor. " Similar in prin- 
ciple was the doctrine of the ancient Persians and 
Etruscans" particularly the latter, who affirm, that 
" the world was formed in the course of six periods ; 
each period comprehending a millenary : (i. e., a 
thousand years :) while six thousand years are allotted 
for a seventh period, viz., that of its duration." 3 

2. " Of the Jewish writers, Rabbi Ketina, as cited 
in the Gemara or gloss of their Talmud, said, "that 
the world endures six thousand years." 4 " It was the 
opinion M also " of the house of Elias," (supposed to be 
Elias the Tishbite,) about two hundred years before 
Christ, "that the world endures six thousand years; two 



1. Fab.,p. 115. 2. Fab., \\ 119. 

3. Fab., p. 120. 4. Pun., p. 110. 

12* 



138 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

thousand before the Law, two thousand under the 
Law, and two thousand under the Messiah." ! 

3. Of the Christian writers, St. Barnabas in the 
first century thus comments upon these words of 
Moses : " And God made in six days the works of 
his hands, and he finished on the seventh day, and he 
rested in it, and sanctified it." This it signifies : — 
that the Lord God will finish all things in six thou- 
sand years ; for a day with him is as a thousand 
years : as he himself testifieth, saying, " Behold this 
day shall be as a thousand years." Therefore, chil- 
dren, " says he," in six days, i. e., in six thousand 
years, shall all things be consummated." 2 Lactan, 
tius says, " Because the works of God were finished 
in six days, it is necessary that the world should re- 
main in this state six ages, i. e., six thousand years." 3 
" Cyprian, A.D. 252 (in his exhortation to martyrdom, 
Sec. ii., p. 179,) says, that in the creation of the world 
seven days were spent, and in those seven days seven 
thousand years were figuratively included ; " 4 the 
last seventh of which is to be understood of the mil- 
lenial rest. Bishop Latimer, (at the head of the Re- 
formation, in his sermon, " The Day of Judgment,") 
observes, " The world was ordained of God to endure, 
as Scripture and all learned men agree, six thou- 
sand years," i. e., to endure in its present condition." 5 
To the above I add in conclusion, the testimony of 
the distinguished Faber. " The divine Sabbath," 



1. Pym., p. 111. 2. Pym.. p. Ill, 112. 3. Pym., p. 112. 
4. Pym., p. 113. 5. lb., p, 113. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 139 



says he, " is a period of not less duration than six mil- 
lenaries/' l i. e., six thousand years. 

Now, respecting these authorities we admit, that 
the Hindoo sages, with the Persians, do not affix a 
definite period to the Almighty's night of repose. 
The Etruscans, however, do thus fix it. Nor do we 
refer to these as direct proof, but simply to show, that 
these heathen philosophers expanded the duration of 
that period which we designate as the sabbatical rest 
of God, greatly beyond that of a natural day. Hence, 
as such, there is to say the least a most striking coin- 
cidence of their views with the opinions both of 
Jewish and Christian writers. 

Let us now see what is to be gathered from Scrip- 
ture, on this subject. Here, we at once admit, and 
that most unhesitatingly, the full force of all those pas- 
sages, which, taken separately or collectively, repre- 
sent " times and seasons " as connected with the 
course of God's dispensations to men, as hidden from 
their view. We will take for instance, the following 
by way of illustration : — 1st. The question of the 
disciples to Christ, " Lord, wilt thon at this time re- 
store again the kingdom to Israel 7 And his an- 
swer. " It is not for you to know the times or the 
seasons which the Father hath put in his own 
power? 2 2nd. The following and similar passages, 
which, we remark, are very numerous.- — The pro- 
phet Isaiah exclaims, "Howl ye, iov the day of the 
Lord is at hand? 2 St. Paul says, " the time is 

1. Fab., p. 11G., vol. I. 0. Acts L 6, 7. 3. Isa. xiii.. & 



140 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

shorty 1 St. Peter says, " The end of all things is at 
hand." 2 St. James says, " Behold, the Judge stan- 
deth at the door." 3 St. John, personating Christ, 
says, " Behold, I come quickly." 4 Christ said to his 
disciples, " watch, for ye know not what hour your 
Lord doth come." 5 St. Peter says, " The day of the 
Lord will come as a thief in the night." 6 And, 
finally, and above all, Christ says to his disciples, 
" But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, 
no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the 
son, but the Father." 7 

Now, with these passages in view, however much 
of uncertainty is admitted to accompany our know- 
ledge of the commencement and termination of " times 
and seasons," all admit that " God knoweth." All 
admit that He whose divine omniscience sees "the end 
from the beginning" " hath determined the times 
before appointed." 8 But the prevailing opinion 
among Christians is, that at no time and in no sense 
has God ever revealed these u times and seasons " to 
us, nor will the period ever arrive in time, when he 
will so reveal them. 

In opposition to this acknowledged popular view of 
this subject however, there is a small class of Biblical 
Expositors, who, in perfect consistency with all that 
can be claimed for the passages above quoted, as 
shrouding " times and seasons " in the broad mantle 



1. 1 Cor. vii., 29. 2. 1 Pet. iv.. 7. 3. James v., 8, 9. 

4. Rev. xxii., 12. 5. Matt, xxiv., 42. 6. 2 Pet. iii., 10. 

7. Mark, xiii., 32. 8. Acts xvii., 26. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 141 

of impervious darkness ; yet think that, here and 
there, scattered through the pages of inspiration, they 
are furnished with a concentration of light, opening 
to their understanding a clear and unobstructed view, 
at least in the general, if not in details, of the charac- 
ter of the present, and the course of the rapidly ap- 
proaching future, dispensations of God to the world 
and to the church. Nor, as they consider, ought this 
assumption to subject them to the charge either of 
egotism or presumption ; those who impugn the same, 
themselves being judges. For, on what, we ask, is 
this assumption on our part founded? Chiefly, we 
reply, on that steady, accumulating light, which the 
historico-prophetic pages of the past, throws in 
its divinely illuminating beams, upon the pregnantly 
ominous present and future ; and this, upon no other 
ground than that of the popular admission, that " his? 
tory is the interpreter of prophecy ." We argue, that 
" if the external dispensations of God be progressive, 
the light which can illustrate them may be progres- 
sive also. The light which, " for instance," revealed 
the day of Christ to Isaiah, emitted a feebler ray than 
that which enabled the saints at the era of the Re- 
deemer's birth " to wait for the consolation of 
Israel, and for redemption in Jerusalem." 1 Why then 
it is demanded, may not the additional light since 
that period of more than one thousand eight hundred 
years, a light which has continued to shine with in- 
creasing 1 brightness in the burning 1 but unconsumed 

1. Luke ii.,25j v. 38. 



142 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

bush of unerring prophecy, justify " the same eager 
Scrutiny into the time and circumstances of the 
second coming of Christ, in these advanced days of 
human history? " l Our position therefore in view of the 
above, may be gathered from the following, — viz. : — 

That even admitting (which is all that can reason- 
ably be asked) that " the times and seasons which the 
Father w is said to have "put in his own power," as 
embracing the entire series of his dispensations to men, 
as revealed in his word, have been heretofore con- 
cealed from their definite knowledge ; yet that the Scrip- 
tures encourage God's people, to expect the arrival of 
the period when the seal of prophetic mys teries should 
be broken ; and, 

2. That this breaking of the said seal, if applicable 
to any one dispensation, is especially so to the present . 

At this stage of our advance, therefore, in order to 
assume the affirmative of the position involved in the 
above, and that we may render the subject before us 
the more tangible, we shall merge our two propositions 
at the head of this Lecture into one, thus — ■ 

God, in his infinite wisdom, has assigned 
to the present constitution of things in this 
world a limited and definite duration j and 

HAS IMPARTED A KNOWLEDGE OF THE SAME TO HIS 
PEOPLE, IN HIS WORD. 

Of the former part of this proposition we have al- 
ready spoken in general terms, and have adduced the 
prevalent sentiment respecting it in all ages, Heathen, 

l. Noel, p. 5, 6. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 143 

Jewish, and Christian. We here remark, however, 
once for all, that the proof of it remains to be tested by 
the result of our subsequent chronological deductions, 
historic and prophetic. Of the latter part of the pro- 
position, we repeat, that the Revelation of " times and 
seasons " seems more especially reserved for the faith- 
ful in Christ Jesus of the "last times? — "the time 
of the end? The historico-prophetic chart of Holy 
Scripture, as now spread out before us, cannot fail to 
make known to the Christian of this day of wonders, 
his duty to examine " whether these things be so," 
and to fill his heart with unutterable joy at their dis- 
covery ; " which," to have attempted in " earlier 
times, we admit, would neither have been illustrative 
of the one, nor productive of the other." l This fur- 
nishes us with a key, opening to our view the ground 
of that suspense to which both the old prophets and 
primitive saints were subjected, by their indefinite 
knowledge of " the end." Hence the above and 
similar passages, already quoted ; such as, " the day 
of the Lord is at hand? " The end of all tilings is 
at hand," " Watch, for ye know not when your Lord 
doth come." " Behold, I come as a thief" &c. 

The following observations of Bickersteth on the 
answer of our Lord to his disciples respecting the res- 
toration of the kingdom to Israel prior to his ascen- 
sion, viz. : " it is not for you to know the times or the 
seasons which the Father hath put in his awn power* 
cannot fail to throw further light on this important part 

1. Noel, p. G. 



144 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

of our subject. " Why" says this writer, " did Christ 
withhold the time ? " " Look back," says he to the 
reader — " You stand on the eminence of eighteen cen- 
turies ; see what these centuries have been. Genera- 
tion after generation, apostles, martyrs, confessors, and 
reformers, have lived and died. Mark all the con- 
flicts through which the early Christians attained their 
triumphs — their labors, sufferings, persecutions, mar- 
tyrdoms. Go on to the rise of Popery and Mahome- 
danism — see the dark ages — mark the struggles of 
infant Protestantism, and its subsequent decay — look 
at the present spread of infidelity among professedly 
Christian nations." Now, " had the apostles been told 
all this must previously take place — all this corrup- 
tion must previously spread over the world, oh, what 
needless despondency and heart-sinkings must have 
overwhelmed them ! Eighteen hundred years of de- 
ferred expectation — eighteen hundred years of Israel's 
dispersion and desolation — eighteen hundred years 
yet to remain of the Gentile monarchies — and eigh- 
teen hundred years the treading under foot of Jerusalem! 
With what wisdom and love, which marks all his pro- 
vidence to his Church, this dark scene was kept 
back /" l Again, " why, also, did he tell them that 
the times and seasons were put into the father's 
hands ? It seems to point out the entire filial con- 
fidence they might have in the paternal wisdom and 
love of all the Divine arrangements," during "a pro- 
longed time of delay, which it was not for the good 

1. Time to favor Zion, p. 7. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 145 

of the Church to know then." l It was, in a word, 
" that his Church then might have a waiting spirit n 
for the day of the Lord's re-appearing — <• that ex- 
pectation might be kept alive — that all the benefits of 
a prepared, watchful, prayerful, desiring spirit, might 
be continued, and all the animation of hope, from age 
to age, fill the souls of his people, the Son of God vms 
not in the beginning commissioned to give any date 
of the timeT 2 

But to this exposition of the above it may be replied, 
yea, it is replied, that it makes the Savior guilty of a 
trifling evasion, in answering the question of his in- 
quiring disciples. At first view, the great lapse of 
time (more than eighteen centuries) which was to in- 
tervene between the propounding of the above ques- 
tion and the restoration of the kingdom to Israel, would 
seem to give to this inference the semblance of plausi- 
bleness. In any other aspect, it merits the severest 
animadversion. For is time, as measured by the In- 
finite God, the same that it is with man? Such a sup- 
position would argue that the eternal mind is subject 
to similar emotions with ourselves, in view of an ex- 
ercise of " hope deferred ! " But who will pretend 
this ? 3 No, my brethren, the infinite wisdom which 
clothed the answer of Christ to his disciples, is seen 
in the effect (practically) which it produced upon their 
minds and conduct ; and which, as we conceive, was 
precisely the same as it is with those to whom " the 



1. Time to favor Zion. p. 7. 2. Ibid. p. 8, 9. 

3. 2 Pet. iii., 8, 9. 

13 



146 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

times and seasons " are now definitely made known. 
Hope, though deferred, filled them " with joy and holy 
expectation" then, as though "the time of the end," 
then actually to human view far distant from them, 
was nigh at hand ; for, even upon the supposition that 
the interval between the two advents as present to the 
minds of the New Testament Saints, stretched through 
a vista of full one thousand eight hundred years, yet 
if viewed relatively with the entire period of the des- 
tined duration of the constituted order of things un- 
der the three dispensations, Patriarchal, Jewish, and 
Christian, it stood in the proportion of considerably 
less than one third to the whole period. Nor is this 
in the least at variance with our ordinary conceptions 
of the proportion of time future with time past 
of any given period, as of a year, month, 
week, or day ; — respecting which, when less 
than one third remains unexpired, it is common to 
say, that the year, month, week, or day, "is far 
spent? This admitted, and we think we are fur- 
nished with an illustration of the subject in hand, 
when applied to the above interval of the two advents, 
the second ultimating in the establishment upon earth 
of the kingdom of Messiah; to which, during this in- 
terval, the Gentile or Christian economy was designed 
as preparatory. Thus the following and similar pas- 
sages : — " The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of 
God is at hand : repent ye, and believe the gospel." l 
Hence the Savior, when about to leave his Church 

1. Mark, i., 15. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 147 

during this interval, says to his disciples, "A little 
while, and ye shall not see me : And again, a little 
while, and ye shall see me, because, (between my two 
advents) I go to the Father." l And the Apostle Paul, 
speaking of his return, says, " For yet a little while, 
and he that shall come will come, and will not 
tarry." 2 Hence also the consistency, prospective of the 
lapse of this long period of one thousand eight hun- 
dred years, of the ivarning, — " Behold I come as a 
thief:" 3 and of the exhortation, — •" Watch, for in 
such an hour as ye think not, the son of man 
cometh : " 4 and of the promise, — " Blessed is he that 
watcheth. " 5 Finally, hence the exercise, on the part 
of the Apostles and primitive Saints, of a watchful, 
prayerful, patient waiting for, this " day of the Lord." 
The holy ambition which fired their breasts amid 
their trials of cruel mockings, and scourgings, and 
deaths, might be seen in their constant " Looking for 
that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the Great 
God, even our Savior Jesus Christ; " 6 and their " look- 
ing for and hasting unto the coming of the day of 
God." 7 

What now, I ask, — yes, and ask with religious so- 
lemnity — what becomes of the above plea, that the 
indefinite replies of our Lord to the several inquiries 
of his disciples respecting " times and seasons " were 
no better than trifling evasions, because predicated of 



1. John xvi., 10. 2. Hob. r., 37. 

3. Rev. xvi., 15. 1. Matt. xxv. } 13. 

5. Rev. xvi., 15. 6. Titus ii., 13. 

7. 2 Pot. iii., 19. 



148 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

the ultimate purpose of God to reveal them to his 
Church? This sentiment, to my understanding, 
savors of the scoffing spirit of these last times, 1 
which has for its basis that irreverent and blasphe- 
mous assumption of equality with Deity, so forcibly 
brought to view in the words, " Thou thoughtest that 
I was altogether such an one as thyself ! " 2 " But," 
saith God, ". I will reprove thee, and set them in order 
before thine eyes." 3 

First. It is conceded, that to the prophet Daniel the 
command was given, to " shut up the words, and seal 
the book, even to the time of the end? 4 And again, 
" Go thy way, Daniel ; for the words are closed up 
and sealed till the time of the end? 5 Also, that to 
his disciples Christ said, " It is not for you to know 
the times and seasons ; " 6 and that of " that day and 
hour knovjeth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, 
neither the Son, but the Father." 7 But, on the other 
hand, we would ask you to look at the following and 
similar declarations, — first, of the prophet Amos. 
" Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth 
his secrets unto his servants the prophets." 8 Also 
of the prophet Habakkuk. " The vision is yet for an 
appointed time ; but at the end, it shall speak and 
not lie : though it tarry, wait for it ; because it will 
surely come, it will not tarry? 9 It is also to be re- 



1. 2 Pet. iii., 3. 2. Ps. 1., 21. 

3. Ps. 1. 5 21. 4. Dan. xii., 4. 

5. Dan. xii., 4, 9. 6. Acts i., 7. 

7. Mark, xiii., 32 3 33. 8. Amos iii., 7. 

9. Hab. ii. 5 3. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 149 

collected that the shutting up of the words, and the 
sealing of the Book of Daniel was limited; " even 
to," or " till, the time of the endP l 

In accordance therefore with these declarations, the 
last canonical prophet of the New Testament, viz., 
St. John, is thus directed, — " Seal not the sayings 
of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at 
handy 2 

Now, if we can place our finger upon the time 
when, and show through whom, and the circum- 
stances under which the very "secret" of which 
the prophet Amos spoke was revealed to the faithful, 
we shall have fully established the point, that " the 
times and seasons " have been and are, in these last 
days, disclosed to the Church. 

As is now generally admitted, (which admission is 
based upon the general opinion of the fathers — 
Irenseus, Origen, Eusebius, &c., and who are fol- 
lowed by the moderns, Mill, Le Clerc, Basnage, Lard- 
ner, Tomline, Woodhouse and others,) the Apoca- 
lypse was written A. D. ninty-six. In the first verse 
and first chapter of that book, we read thus — " The 

REVELATION OF JeSUS CHRIST, WHICH GOD 

GAVE UNTO HIM." Now, we admit all that can 
be claimed for the passage, Mark, xiii., 32. "But 
of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not 
the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, 
but the Father." We admit that, when the disciples 
proposed to Christ the question regarding the time of 

1. Dan. xii., 4, 9. % Rev. xxii.. 10. 

13* 



150 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

the Restoration of the kingdom to Israel, " the times 
and seasons " were u a hidden mystery — not given 
(even) to the Son to reveal : " l and that too, without 
at all derogating (as a late writer on this subject sup- 
poses 2 ) from his divine prerogatives. " By the son 
not knowing, we are clearly taught that he had a real 
human mind, as well as a real human body. As man, 
his Divine omniscience was no more put forth than 
his Almighty power. But as time rolled on, further 
light was to be given on this point." 3 

And now, all the Apostles, save one, having " fallen 
asleep in Jesus," in the A. D. ninety-six, that know- 
ledge of " the times and seasons previously withholden 
from the Son, is fully revealed to him. " The Reve- 
lation of Jesus Christ, which God (who, as the Fa- 
ther, only, before possessed a knowledge of) gave 
unto him," (the Son.) 

But, you will ask, was not this Revelation, thus 
given to the Son by the Father, shut up in his own 
bosom ? We answer, no. St. John was at that time 
" in the isle that is called Patmos," " on the Lord's 
day ; " and, being " in the Spirit," " Jesus Christ," 
who had just received his revelation from the Father, 
" sent and signified it by his angel, unto his servant, 
John." 4 

But, you will say, this Revelation was not designed 
to pass from St. John to others, — Read the following : 



1. Bickers tith's time to fav. Zion. p. 8. 

2. Ramsey's second coming, pp. 56 — 58. 

3. Bick. time to fav. Zion, p. 8. 4. Rev. i. 7 1, 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 151 

" John hare record of the word of God, and of the tes- 
timony of Jesus Christ, (which testimony is the spirit 
of prophecy,) and of all things that he saw." l But 
this Revelation d d not relate to things future ? Yea, 
verily. For St. John was commanded thus — 
"Write the things ^vhich thou hast seen, and the 
things which are, and the things which shall be 

HEREAFTER." 2 

True, St. John did not at first understand what 
was thus revealed to him of the past, the present, and 
the future. " And he wept much, because no man 
was found worthy to open, and to read the book, 
neither to look thereon." But, at that auspicious 
moment, " one of the Elders said unto him, weep not : 
behold, the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, the Root of 
David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose 
the seven seals thereof. 3 Blessed be God ! 

We now affirm, brethren, that, with this representa- 
tion corresponds the general tenor of GooVs word, 
historic and prophetic, in determining, icith the ut- 
most precision, the age of the icorld, from the crea- 
tion and fall of man, down to the consummation of 
all things. 

To show this therefore, is the task now before us, 
in the execution of which, we premise, 

1. That, in God's word is to be found a golden 
chain of measurement to the entire sabbatical day 
of God's rest, the successive links of which, though of 
unequal lengths, are all immutably bound together by 



1. Rev. i., 2. 2. Rev. i., 19. 3. Rev. v., 2 



152 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

him who "hath determined the times before ap. 
pointed." x These determined times taken collec- 
tively, embrace a long period, only one portion of 
which, as brought to view in the prophetic vision of 
Daniel in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, evi- 
dently implies. " The thing revealed,"' it is said 
"was true, but the time appointed was long" 2 

This golden chain we shall now divide into two 
parts, as follows : The first, embracing the interval 
between the creation and fall of mtan, to the commence- 
ment of the prophetic seventy weeks of Daniel, and 
which forms the basis of historic chronology ; the 
second, extending thence to the final " restitution of 
all things," 3 or to the six thousandth year of the 
world, and which we denominate the chronology of 
prophecy. 

But, with a view to a satisfactory issne in the pros- 
ecution of our inquiries of this subject, it is indis- 
pensable that we determine upon a criterion of mea- 
surement of time, both past and future; — the 
questions, — are the years in sacred time, historic and 
prophetic, the same? Does time, as measured by 
sacred chronology harmonize with our solar year ? — 
meeting us at every turn. He therefore who, in an 
attempt to define the point of time upon which we 
now stand, in the successive dispensations of God to 
man, would avoid a confirmation of those prejudices 
already so universally obnoxious to such an attempt, 



1. Acts xvii., 26. 2. Dan. x., 1. (Margin, great.) 

3. Acts iii., 21. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 153 

and also the imputation of "darkening council by 
words without knowledge," l must institute a distinc- 
tion (if any there be) as well between the criteria of 
measurement to time historic and prophetic, as 
between time sacred (or Jewish) and solar. 

Chronology, as a science, possesses few attractions. 
It is ordinarily regarded as a dry and uninteresting 
study. Compared with other sciences, it has not re- 
ceived, except in a few instances, any attention at all 
entitled to the mede of patient, laborious, and minute 
research. As evidence of this, we have but to advert 
to the extreme and variant conclusions of those who 
have already occupied this field. Dr. Hales presents 
a formidable list of the disagreement of Chronologists 
on the iEra (B. C.) of the creat on, which embraces a 
hundred and twenty different opinions, which, he 
says, might easily be swelled to three hundred ; and 
the extreme dates of six thousand nine hundred 
and eighty-four years B. C, and three thousand six 
hundred and sixteen years B. C, exhibiting a differ- 
ence of above three thousand three hundred years ! 

With these facts before us, we think we may legit- 
imately infer, that the science is comparatively little 
studied and less understood. Still, if we mistake not, 
it is clearly susceptible of explication, even to ordi- 
nary minds. It is only when we invest the results of 
protracted and laborious toil in the departments of 
letters with the garb of mysticism, (than which none 
other will better serve the purposes of illustration 

1. Job. xxxviii., '2. 



154 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

than that now before us,) that we place them beyond 
the reach of general, practical utility. But, actuated 
by the principle, that the object of all human attain- 
ments is, to make things plai?i, while it excludes all 
regard to the pomp and outward circumstance of hu- 
man attainments ; (an idol which, as the natural off- 
spring of that knowledge which puffeth up/' 1 receives 
the homage of its thousands and its tens of thou- 
sands ;) it will seek to divest the subject of all unne- 
cessary appendages, by reducing it to the narrowest 
available limits. Nor is it at all necessary to accu- 
racy in our conclusions, that we explore every plot of 
ground in the field of chronological science, by those 
who have gone before us. Indeed, to a mind not pre- 
viously fortified by a degree, greater or lesser, of un- 
questionable data, " confusion worse confounded " will 
be the result of further toil. This is inevitable, when 
history, the basis of chronology, abounds with inac- 
curacies. And when this is the case with such 
writers as the great Jewish historian Josephus, 2 and 
(though to a much more limited extent) to the pro- 
foundly learned Archbishop Usher ; 3 it more than 
suggests the necessity of the greatest caution in re- 
lying upon their deductions, and shuts us up to the 
alternative of studied discrimination in the use of all 
human helps, and a resting of ourselves and the 
merits of our investigations, upon the infallible autho- 



1. Cor. xiii., 1. 

2. Prideaux, vol. i., pp. 174, 382 ; ii., 65, 68, 305 ; iii., 58, 71. 
135, 199, 207, 240. 241, 400, 401, 414, 416; iv., 58. 

3. Prideaux, vol. i, 420, 434 ; ii., 45 ; iii., 206. 



AGE OF THE WORLD. &C. 155 

rity of the historic and prophetic records of God's 
word. Upon this ground exclusively, we rest the 
merits of our cause. Not that we do not respect hu- 
man science — not that we have not examined hu- 
man systems — but that we believe the conflicting 
opinions of men in these premises, while thus sub- 
servient to evidence a too great resting upon uninspired 
aids in their investigations, are also designed to illus- 
trate the final purpose of God to " choose the foolish 
things of the world to confound the wise, and the 
weak things of the world to confound the mighty ; 
and base things of the world, and things which are 
despised, yea, and things which are not, to bring to 
nought things that are : that no flesh should 
glory in his presence. l This end, humiliating 
though it be to the pride of human greatness, awaits 
all speculative systems not subservient in their nature 
and design, to the inspired word : nor shall we accept 
of the proifered aid even of these, except in so far as, 
by the coincidence of their deductions with the 
statements of that word, they afford collateral evi- 
dence of its truth. 

It is in this strictly subordinate sense that we now 
proceed to a developement, in brief, of the progress of 
astronomical science in furnishing a criterion for the 
measurement of time, as preparatory to the proof of 
the coincidence of solar with sacred time, in determin- 
ing the age of the world. 

Chronology treats of the divisions of time, rather 



1. 1 Cor. i., -27. 



156 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

than of time in the abstract. These divisions of time 
respect two things, — first, duration, e.g., a year, a 
month, a day, &c, and second, succession, e. g., the 
year 1842 is the 66th in the order of succession from 
the declaration of independence of these United States. 
A given period of time however, is only determinable 
by affixing a definite length to the year, month, week, 
day, &c. And for this we are dependent, partly on 
our internal perceptions of time, as produced by the 
regular and uniform motions of certain external ob- 
jects, but principally on the motions of the objects 
themselves ; e. g., the motions of those two great ce- 
lestial bodies, the sun and the moon. These, by their 
regular and uninterrupted movements from age to age, 
have induced such astronomical observations of their 
respective revolutions even from early antiquity, as 
finally to ultimate in the establishment of accurate and 
unalterable measurements of the duration of time ; the 
revolutions of the sun, determining the length of the 
year, and those of the moon, the month, and day* 
Then also, as these only answer the purposes of meas- 
uring time by its larger divisions, for the conveniences 
of social life, the smaller divisions of hours, minutes, 
seconds, &c, have been adopted. Hence Ave denomi- 
nate the larger divisions of time the natural, and the 
smaller, the social. It is also well to observe, that 
natural divisions of time are only determinable by 
astronomical science ; while its other divisions (e. g., 
those established by law and custom) lay exclusively 
within the province of history, and which we call, its 
civil divisions. Still, the astronomical divisions of 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 157 

natural time cannot determine the length of any given 
period, separate from its connexion with its civil or 
historical divisions. Hence, their inseparable depen- 
dance, the one on the other. 

Astronomy, as a science, has finally attained to such 
a degree of perfection, as not only to supply the defi- 
ciences of that vagueness which attends the measure- 
ment of time by the seasons, but to determine that the 
precise length of each solar year is three hundred and 
sixty-five days, five hours, forty-eight minutes, forty- 
five seconds and thirty thirds. In historical Chronology, 
however, the more minute parts of the year as above 
are omitted, till the portions amount to twenty-four 
hours, or an intercalary day; at the recurrence of 
which, it adds to the then present year one more day, 
making it three hundred and sixty-six. Hence the dis- 
tinction between the intercalary or leap year, and the 
common year. Astronomers also institute a distinc- 
tion between the tropical and sideral solar year; 
the former of which is described by the motions of 
the sun between the tropics, and the latter, the time it 
requires to reach the same star, (the fixed stars, during 
the tropical revolution of the sun having had a motion 
of their own,) at which it was observed at the begin- 
ning of its revolution. But as the difference between 
the two years amounts only to twenty minutes, twenty- 
five seconds, and thirty thirds, it does not affect the 
periods of time in general Chronology. As to the 
point at which the natural year begins, there is no 
agreement among different nations, — some commen- 
cing it in the spring, and others in summer. 
14 



158 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

The solar year, being divided into twelve equal parts, 
constitutes the twelve solar months, which is the time 
required by the sun to pass through the twelve signs 
of the Zodiac, making each month to consist of thirty 
days, ten hours, twenty-nine minutes, forty -seven sec- 
onds and thirty thirds. 

The Lunar year consists of the twelve revolutions of 
the moon, each from one new moon to another, which 
constitute the Lunar months ; and these twelve revo- 
lutions being again divided into four parts, are the four 
changes in the phases of the moon during its revolu- 
tion through the signs of the Ecliptic ; and are called 
the new moon, the first quarter, the full moon, and the 
last quarter. The lunar month astronomically 
amounts to twenty-nine days, twelve hours, fourty-four 
minutes, three seconds and twelve thirds ; and the year 
to three hundred and fifty-four days, eight hours, forty- 
eight minutes, thirty-eight seconds and twelve thirds. 
The excess of length of the solar over the lunar year 
therefore is, ten days, twenty-one hours, no minutes, 
seven seconds, eighteen thirds. 

This year, adopted by the Arabians, forms the meas- 
urement of time of the Mohammedan Era. The 
excess of its fractions, when they amounted to a day, 
upon the improvement of Arabian astronomical sci- 
ence, was madje intercalary ; eleven of which was 
annexed to a cycle of thirty years, which cycle con- 
tained eleven leap years of three hundred and fifty-five 
days ; which leap years are, the second, fifth, seventh, 
tenth, thirteenth, fifteenth, eighteenth, twenty-first, 
twenty-fourth, twenty-sixth, and twenty-ninth. The 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 159 

excess of the ten days, twenty-one hours, &c, of the solar 
over the lunar year, makes thirty-two of the former, 
equal to thirty-three years and four or five days of 
the latter. Indeed, according to Prideaux, the Arabs, 
from the time of Mohamet, have used a year purely 
lunar, and the Turks do the same in imitation of 
them. 1 

We assume, then, that the solar year (minus the 
fractions, which do not enter into the historical calcu- 
lations of time) of three hundred and sixty-five days, 
is the standard of measurement for all chronological 
deductions in the department of profane history. 
Still, it may not be uninteresting to an inquiring mind 
to spread before him a brief outline of the progressive 
developements of astronomical science, which has re- 
sulted in furnishing at our hands, so accurate a criterion 
for the determination of chronological epochs. 

But before entering upon this subject it will, per- 
haps, be well to furnish the following conjecture as to 
the probable length of the ante-diluvian year, from 
the pen of the learned Shuckford. He observes, 

" It is something difficult to say, of what length the 
year was, which was in use in the early ages. Before 
the Flood, it is most probable that the civil and solar 
year were the same, and that three hundred and sixty 
days were the exact measure of both. In that space of 
time the Sun made one entire revolution : it was easy 
and natural for the first astronomers to divide the circle 
of the Sun's annual course into three hundred and 



1. Prideaux. vol. ii. p. 48, 



160 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

sixty parts, long before geometry arrived at perfection 
enough to afford a reason for choosing to divide circles 
into that number of degrees. All the time of the anti- 
diluvian world, chronology was fixed and easy, for a 
year could be more exactly measured than it now can. 

" At the Flood the Heavens underwent some change; 
the motion of the Sun was altered, and a year, or an- 
nual revolution of it became, as it now is, five days 
and almost six hours longer than it was before. That 
such a change had been made, x most of the philoso- 
phers observed, and, without doubt, as soon as they 
did observe it, they endeavored to set right their chro- 
nology by it : for it is evident, that as soon as the solar 
year became thus augmented, the ancient measure of 
a year would not do, but mistakes must creep in, and 
grow more and more every year they continued to 
compute by it." 2 

But, the best endeavors of these early philosophers 
to this end were extremely defective, as may be infer- 
red from the following brief, but accurate summary of 
Dr. Hally, respecting the state of astronomical science 
in these remote ages. He says, 

" The astronomy of the ancients is usually reckoned 
for one of those sciences, wherein the learning of the 
Egyptians consisted ; and Strabo expressly declares, 

that there were several universities in Babylon wherein 
astronomy was chiefly professed ; and Pliny tells us 



1. See Plutarch de Placit. Philos. lib. ii., c. 8, lib. iii., c. 12, 
lib. v., c. 18 ; and Plato Polit. p. 174, 175, 269, 270, 271 ; and 
Laertius in vit. Anaxagor, lib. ix., seg. 33. 2. Vol. i., p. 8. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 161 

much the same thing. So that it might well be ex- 
pected, that where such a science was so much studied 
it ought to have been proportion ably cultivated. Not- 
withstanding all which it does appear, that there was 
nothing done by the Chaldeans older than about four 
hundred years before Alexander's conquest, which 
could be serviceable either to Hipparchus or Ptolomy, 
in their determination of the celestial motions ; for had 
there been any observations older than those we have, 
it cannot be doubted but the victorious Greeks must 
have procured them as well as those they did, they 
being; still more valuable for their antiquity. All we 
have of them is only seven eclipses of the Moon pre- 
served in Ptolomy's Syn taxis ; and even those are very 
coarsely set down, and the oldest not much above 
seven hundred years before Christ; so that, after all 
the fame of these Chaldeans, we may be sure that 
they had not gone far in this science. And though 
Callisthenes is said by Porphyry to have brought from 
Babylon to Greece observations above one thousand 
nine hundred years older than Alexander, yet the pro- 
per authors making no mention or use of any such, 
renders it justly suspected for a fable. x What the 
Egyptians did in this matter is less evident, because 
no one observation made by them can be found in 
their countryman Ptolomy, except what was done by 
the Greeks of Alexandria, under three hundred years 



1. Callisthcnes's account may not be a fable ; the subsequent au- 
thors neither mentioned nor used these observations, because they 
were in truth such sorry ones, that no use could be made oi them. 

14* 



162 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

before Christ. Therefore, whatever was the learning 
of these two ancient nations, respecting the motions 
of the stars, it seems to have been chiefly theoretical ; 
and I will not deny, but some of them might very 
long since be apprised of the Sun's being the centre of 
our system, for such was the doctrine of Pythagoras 
aud Philolaus, and some others, who were said to 
have travelled into these parts. 

" Prom hence it may appear, that the Greeks were 
the first practical astronomers, who endeavored in 
earnest to make themselves masters of the science, and 
to whom we owe all the old observations of the plan- 
ets, and of the Equinoxes and Tropics. Thales was 
the first who could predict an eclipse in Greece, not six 
hundred years before Christ ; and without doubt it was 
but a rude account he had of the motions ; and it was 
Hipparchus who made the first catalogue of the fixed 
stars, not above one hundred and fifty years before 
Christ ; without which catalogue there could be scarce 
such a science as astronomy ; and it is to the subtilty 
and diligence of that great author, that the world was 
beholden for all its astronomy for above one thousand 
five hundred years. All that Ptolomy did, in his Syn- 
taxis, was no more than a bare transcription of the 
theories of Hipparchus, with some little emendation 
of the periodical motions, after about three hundred 
years interval ; and this book of Ptolomy was, with- 
out dispute, the utmost perfection of the ancient 
astronomy ; nor was there any thing in any nation 
before it comparable thereto ; for which reason all the 
other authors thereof were disregarded and lost, and 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 163 

among them Hipparchus himself. Nor did posterity- 
dare to altar the theories delivered by Ptolomy, though 
successively Albategnius and the Arabs, and after 
them the Spanish astronomers under Alphonsus en- 
deavored to mend the errors which they observed in 
their computations. But their labors were fruitless, 
whilst from the defects of their principles it was im- 
possible to reconcile the Moon's motion within a de- 
gree, nor the planets Mars and Mercury to a much 
greater space." 

In confirmation of the above we remark, that the 
early Egyptian and Babylonian astronomers, with 
those of the Medes, all failed in affixing any definite 
data for the measurement of solar time. Indeed, the 
first recorded effort to this end was that of " Assis, a 
king of Thebes, in Egypt, l who reigned about a 
thousand years after the flood,'' at which time the civil 
year was made to consist of three hundred and sixty- 
five days. The Egyptians were followed by the Babylo- 
nians ; but their year counted only three hundred and 
sixty days, till after the commencement of the reign 
of Belus, or Nabonassar, about sixteen hundred years 
after the flood. Hence the commencement of the 
Nabonassarean Era, the years of which agree exactly 
with the Egyptian, except that the former commences 
in winter, the latter in autumn; and "the ancient 



1. See- Plat, de Tlacit Philos, 1. ii., c. 8; 1. iii.,C. 12. \.iv.. c. 
18 : and Plato Polit., p. 174, 173, LY>i>. 370, 27 1 ; and Laeit. in vit. 
Anax. 1., ix., seg. 33. {Shuck, vol. i., p. S.) 



164 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

year of the Medes is the same with the Nabonassa- 

rean." l 

The Brazen Age. next to the time of Jupiter ; 2 

and the Era of Sesostins* not being material to our 
present purpose, will be passed over without further 
notice. 

Of the progress of astronomy, in determining the 
fractions of a year over three hundred and sixty-five 
days, if reliance is to be placed upon Dr. Hally's state- 
ment of the ancient astronomers as above, Thales, the 
Grecian philosopher, who flourished about the fiftieth 
year of the Nabonassarean Era, was the first of that 
nation who attempted to correct the Greek year. " He 
learned in Egypt that the year consisted of three hun- 
dred and sixty-five days." But even this correction 
was not immediately received all over Greece ; for 
Solon, in the time of Cra3sus, king of Lydia, was ig- 
norant of it." 4 It was, according to Strabo, reserved 
for Plato and Eudoxus, near two hundred years after 
the time of Thales, to find out the deficiency of al- 
most six hours in his year ; 5 and, even this improve- 
ment, Dr. Hally states that before Hipparchus, who 
flourished only about one hundred and fifty years be- 
fore Christ, there could be scarce such a science as as- 
tronomy, he having made the first catalogue of the 
fixed stars, such a catalogue being indispensable to mi- 
nute astronomical calculations ; and that to him the 



1. Shuck, vol i., p. 9. 2. Shuck. Con. vol. iii. 78. 

3. Ibid., p. 125. 4. Ibid., Con. vol. i., p. 10. 

6. Strabo 2. xvii, p. 806. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 165 

world was beholden for all its astronomy for above one 
thousand five hundred years. Finally, as the learned 
astronomer Hally states, it was reserved for Ptolomy, 
in his Syntaxis, about three hundred years after Hip- 
parchus, to carry that science, as based upon his theory, 
to the highest point of perfection that it ever attained 
under the ancients. 

From the preceding, however, it is evident that the 
Greeks were by no means the " pioneers " of astrono- 
mical science. In fact, their earliest mode of chrono- 
logical computations, was by generations, three of 
which, at thirty-three and one-third years each, equal- 
led one hundred years. Hence, Pherecydes and Cad- 
mus, of Miletus, the two most ancient historians of the 
Greeks, who flourished about five hundred years be- 
fore Christ ; and sometimes, even Herodotus, l who, 
by the way, furnishes a rule by which to determine 
said computations, 2 adopted " this very natural, but 
very indefinite mode." Newton, in his "chronologia ve- 
terum emendata," however, only allows from eighteen 
to twenty years, as the average of the reigns of their 
kings, three of which, at sixty-six years, makes a dif- 
ference from the above of thirty-four years ; while on 
the other hand, Eratosthenes and Apollodorus, fixes 
the average of each generation at thirty-six and a half 
years. 

The science of astronomy among the Greeks, be- 
tween the times of Solon and Hipparchus, a period of 
about four hundred and forty years, was exceedingly 



1. Herodotus, 1. i., p. 181. 0. Ibid, 1. a., p. Ml. 



166 • AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

vague and undefined. The Attic or Athenian lunar 
year included twelve months, numbering alternately 
twentv-nine and thirty days. But after fruitless 
attempts by Meton, about four hundred and thirty 
years before Christ; and by Callippus, about one 
hundred years later, to effect a correspondence be- 
tween lunar and solar time, they finally, " mistak- 
ing a lunar month to consist exactly of thirty days, in 
compounding their year of twelve of them, made it 
amount to three hundred and sixty-five days." Sub- 
sequently, however, upon the observance of their fes- 
tivals, especially when connected with the Olympiads, 
as the time for celebrating their games, " being the 
first full moon after the summer solstice, it always fell 
in the compass of one lunar month, either sooner or 
later in the solar year ; and there being just four years 
between Olympiad and Olympiad, this necessarily 
made these years to be solar years ; and cycles, and 
rules of intercalation were invented of purpose to 
bring them to it." Hence, " although they might mea- 
sure their months by the motion of the moon, they al- 
ways regulated their years according to that of the 
sun." x 

Besides the Attic or Athenian, there is also the Ma- 
cedonian calendar; which, though it differed from the 
above in the names of the months, yet in other res- 
pects it corresponded with it, except that the former 
began with the winter solstice, and the latter with the 

1. Prideaux, vol. ii., pp. 41, 42. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 167 

autumnal equinox. It was used principally in those 
Asiatic States founded by Alexander's generals. 

In A.D.681, at an ^Ecumenical Council of the Greek 
or Eastern Church, the birth of Christ was fixed at the 
five thousand five hundred and eighth year from the 
Creation. This era was adopted as the civil mode of 
reckoning by the Oriental Churches, and also by the 
Greek Emperors, upon the rejection of the " Consular 
Era," and continued in use down to the time of Peter 
I., A. D., 1700, when the Christian Era, (the Juliano- 
Gregorian year,) then in use throughout all Europe, 
was adopted in its place. 

The Era of the Seleucidce is founded upon the 
conquest of Babylon and the erection of a powerful 
monarchy under Seleucus, one of the most valarous 
generals of Alexander ; and falls in with the first year 
of the one hundred and seventeenth Olympiad, or the 
last half of the year three hundred and twelve, and the 
first half of the year three hundred and eleven, B. C. It 
is mentioned in the Books of the Maccabees, and as con- 
nected with the history of Asia and of the Christian 
Church during the middle ages, it is sometimes used 
by the Christian Fathers. 

Of the Cecropian Era, and Parian Chronicle, in- 
troduced into England from the Levant by William 
Petty in the form of a tablet of Parian Marble, about 
A. D. one thousand six hundred and twenty-eight, 
and upon which was engraved a short chronicle of 
Grecian history, which commences with, and marks 
the date when, Cecrops first came into Greece : 
though at first considered as a safe guide in the tie- 



168 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 



partment of Grecian Chronology ; yet its authenticity 
has been so undermined by the pen of the learned 
Robinson, that it has now fallen into comparative 
desuetude. 

The Consular Era just alluded to, which was re- 
gulated by the succession of two Annual Consuls, 
was the only mode of reckoning in the business of 
civil life among the Romans. It commenced about 
five hundred years B. C, and terminated by an ordi- 
nance of Leo the Philosopher, between A. D. eight 
hundred eighty-six and nine hundred and eleven. 

The Olympiads were of Roman origin, and com- 
menced at an early period. The first Olympiad how- 
ever is dated from Coroebus, who flourished B. C, 
seven hundred and seventy-six, he being the first victor 
in those games to whose honor a statue was erected. 

Prior to the time of Julius Cassar, the Roman year, 
which was Lunar, and introduced by Numa Pom- 
pilius, consisted of three hundred and fifty-five days. 
Thus it continued, till the time of the Decemvirs, 
when a change took place in the order of the months, 
an intercalated month of twenty- two days every two 
years, and one of twenty-three days every four years 
being introduced, with a view to harmonize the 
Lunar with the solar year. But even with this im- 
provement, though it agreed with the Tetraeteris of 
the Athenians, yet it exceeded by four days both the 
Attic Cycle and four Julian years. In this imperfect 
and confused state it remained for years, subject to 
the caprices of the College of Priests, who either 
lengthened or diminished the year, as best served their 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 169 

mercenary ends. Upon the accession of Julius Caesar 
to the Roman throne, however, an attempt was made 
to reform the Calendar. For this purpose the emperor 
selected Sosigenes, according to Pliny, but Marcus 
Flavins, according to Macrobius. This reformation 
commenced in Caesar's fourth consulate, B. C. forty- 
five, and the seven hundred and ninth from the buildino* 
of the city. The preceding year, (which, from the 
endless confusion that arose from the difference in the 
number of days of the several months, together with 
the introduction of the intercalary months, was styled 
by Macrobius, the year of confusion,) ending on the 
twenty-ninth of December, the New Calendar com- 
menced on the first of January, as above. 

The Julian year is solar time, and consists of three 
hundred and sixty-five days and six full hours, which 
six hours making in four years one intercalarv day, is 
added to the above every fourth or leap year. Even 
this year, however, had its defects. For, in its sub- 
sequent division into fifty-two weeks of seven days each, 
which gave only three hundred and sixty-four days 
to the year, it overran the fifty-two weeks in common 
years one, and in leap years two days. Nor was this 
all. It exceeded the true time by eleven minutes, 
fourteen seconds, and thirty thirds. This it was found 
by the course of the sun after the lapse of a century 
amounted to about ten days, and hence, that it ma- 
terially affected the time, designated in the Julian 
Calendar for the celebration of Easter, viz., the 
twenty-first of March, which always fell on the first 
Sunday after the full moon immediately succeeding 
15 



170 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

the vernal equinox, and that in the sixteenth century 
the time was anticipated by ten days. 

Finally, under Pope Gregory XIII., in order to ob- 
viate the recurrence of a like difficulty, Aloysius Li- 
lius, an eminent astronomer of that period, reformed 
the Julian Calendar by throwing ten days out of the 
month of October of one thousand five hundred and 
eighty-two, by which process the first of January en- 
suing was made to coincide with the right point in 
the sun's motion. This, however, gave to that year 
only three hundred and fifty-five days .Hence, in order 
to prevent the recurrence of a similar difficulty by the 
above fractions of the Julian over the true solar year, 
it was determined that every hundredth year for three 
centuries in succession, which, according to the Julian 
Calendar would be leap years, should be common 
years, but for the fourth century a leap year. Hence 
the Juliano-Gregorian year, or new style. It was not, 
however until A. D. one thousand seven hundred, 
that the German Protestants consented to adopt the 
New Calendar, which example was afterwards fol- 
lowed by Denmark, Holland, and Switzerland ; by 
England in one thousand seven hundred and fifty- 
two, and by Sweden in one thousand seven hundred 
and fifty-three. The Russians have always adhered 
to the Old Calendar. 

' The ancient Persian astronomy attained to great 
accuracy in the adjustment of solar time, their com- 
mon and leap years agreeing precisely with those of 
the Julian year ; with the exception that, as the new 
year, by their mode of intercalation, always fell on the 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 171 

day of the Vernal Equinox, the Arabian astronomers 
of the age of Malek Schah, (or Djelaleddin) gave it 
the precedence. 

Some have supposed that at this time the above 
year formed the civil mode of reckoning time among 
the Persians. This supposition however can scarcely 
be reconciled with the fact, that Persia was now un. 
der the Seldjukian Dinasty, of which Malek Schah 
(himself an Arabian) was king. The lunar year of 
the Arabians formed the civil mode of reckoning time 
in all countries subjugated to their arms. The 
greater probability is, that this solar year of the Per- 
sians was coeval with the period of Zoroaster, Malek 
Schah, a devoted lover of astronomical science collect- 
ing his knowledge respecting it from a festival per- 
petuated among that people in commemoration of 
" the day of the Vernal Equinox," called also 
" Naurus," or New years day. 

Of the progress of astronomy as herein set forth we 
have observed, that, in historical Chronology, the 
more minute parts of the solar year are omitted, until 
the fractions, amounting as they do every fourth year 
to one day, makes an intercalary day, which, being 
added thereto, is a leap year. Hence the distinction 
between the common and intercalary year. Hence 
also the origin of Cycles, to harmonize the Lunar 
with the Solar year. It is perhaps necessary also 
again to observe, that the fractional difference between 
the tropical and sidcral solar year, does not affect 
the periods of time in general Chronology. And, in 
view of the difference between the original solar Ju- 



172 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

lian year-) and the Juliano- Gregorian year, being that 
of ten days, at the lapse of every century; computing the 
duration of the world under the present constituted order 
of things at six thousand years, the same remark may 
apply : For, be the result of any established Cycle har- 
monizing Lunar and Solar time ivithin that period 
whatever it may, when carried beyond it, it cannot af- 
fect general historical^Chronology as included therein. 

These remarks premised, it may be of use to add a 
brief account of the progress of the principle Cycles 
adopted from time to time, with a view to harmonize 
the Lunar and Solar years. 

Cleostratus, a Greek philosopher, about B. C. five 
hundred and thirty-two, discovered the Cycle of eight 
years, which was used to regulate the period of the 
celebration of the Olympic games, 1 festivals, &c., as 
founded upon the direction of their " oracle," as Pri- 
deaux says, to observe all their sacrifices and festivals, 
KuraToia^ i. e., according to three ; which they inter- 
preted to mean years, months, and days ; and that the 
years were to be reckoned according to the course of 
the Sun, and the months and days according to that 
of the moon. Hence their endeavors to bring all these 
to meet together ; i. e., to bring the same months, and 
all the days of them, to fall as near as possible within 
the same time of the sun's course, that so the same 
solemnities might always be celebrated within the 
same seasons of the year, as well as in the same 
months, and on the same days of them ; the difference 

1. Investigator, vol. iv., p. 140. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 173 

between the lunar revolutions of the moon, (twelve 
of which made their common year), in its conjunction 
with that of the sun in bringing it round to the same 
point of the ecliptic, being eleven days, minus that of 
the sun. 

The first attempt to this end was that of Deiteris, 
of a Cycle of two years, by an intercalation of one 
month. But this was found to exceed the solar year 
by seven and a half days. Soon after the discovery of 
this defect, the Tetrgeteris was introduced, which was 
a Cycle of four years. But here again was a dif- 
ference between lunar and solar time, every fourth 
year, of full fourteen days. To remedy this defect, 
Cleostratus, as above, intercalated alternately, one four 
years with one month, and the next four years with 
two months, which brought it to the Octoeteris, or 
Cycle of eight years, which was a more perfect Cycle 
than either of the preceding ; leaving, betwen lunar 
and solar time, in eight years, a difference of only one 
day, fourteen hours, and nine minutes. The aug- 
mentation of this difference, however, finally origin- 
ated several other Cycles, of which the learned Pri- 
deaux pronounces that of Meto (or Meton) to be the 
most perfect. This Meto was a famous Athenian as- 
tronomer, and flourished about the time of Nehemiah, 
four hundred and thirty-two years before Christ, He, 
as the learned author l above named asserts, invented 

1. Shuckford withholds the distinction here ascribed to Melon by 
Prideanx, as the exclusive originator of this Cycle. Thus it is the 
greatest and the best of men will differ. His words are, 

" As to Meton, from his account of his settling the Equinoxes, 

15* 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



the Enneadecaeteris, or the Cycle of nineteen years, 
which is a lunar Cycle, called the Cycle of the moon ; 
the numbers whereof being, by reason of the excellen- 
cy of their use, written in the ancient callendars in 
golden letters — in our present almanacs is called, the 
golden numbers. This Cycle is made up of nineteen 
lunar years and seven lunar months, by seven inter- 
calations added to them ; each year of the seven con- 
sisting of thirteen months, and the rest of twelve. In 
adapting it to the seasons for celebrating the Grecian 
Olympiads, the use to which it was first applied, as 
the recurrence of these Olympiads fell on the first full 



and from Dean Prideaux's of his nineteen years cycle, a it would 
seem probable that Le was a very exact astronomer. But I must 
confess, there appear to me to be considerable reasons against ad- 
mitting this opinion of him; for how could Meton be so exact an 
astronomer, when Hipparchus, who lived almost three hundred 
years after Meton, b was the first who found out, that the Equinox 
had a motion backwards, since even he was so far from being ac- 
curate, that he miscounted twenty-eight years in one hundred, in 
calculating that motion, c Meton might not be so exact an astron- 
omer as he is represented. The cycle which goes under his name 
might be first projected by him ; but perhaps he did not give it that 
perfection which it afterwards received. Columella lived in the time 
of one Emperor Claudius, and he might easily ascribe more to Meton 
than belonged to him, as living so many ages after him. Later 
authors perfected Meton's rude draughts of astronomy ; and Colu- 
mella might suppose the corrections made in his originals by later 
hands to be Meton's. We now call the nineteen years cycle by his 
name , but I suppose, that nothing more ol it belongs to him than an 
original design of something like it, which the astrononers of after 
ages added to and completed by degrees. 

a. Prideaux, Connect, part ii., book iv. b. Newton'i Chronology, p. 94 

c. Id. ibid 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 175 



moon after the summer solstice, which was observed 
to be on the twenty-first day of the Egyptian mont h 
Phamenoth ; this, when reduced to the Julian year 
coincided with the twenty -seventh of June. ! 

The difference between lunar and solar time at 
the end of this Cycle being only two hours, one mi- 
nute, and twenty seconds, the learned Prideaux, as 
already stated, pronounces the " perfectest," and say s ? 
" to a nearer agreement than this no other Cycle 
can bring them." 2 Yet, in a subsequent part 3 of his 
very elaborate and useful work, after adverting to his 
previous account of the above Cycles, including that 
of Meto, (to which, it is true, he still gives the pre- 
ference,) he says of them that " they all failed" &c, 
and then proceeds to introduce to the notice of the 
reader another, called the Calippic Cycle, as a little 
perfecter than " the perfectest?' 4 The account which 
he gives of this Cycle is, in substance, as follows : — 

After the expiration of a century, it was found that 
the Cycle of Meto " had overshot what he aimed a 
by a quarter of a day." Hence, Calippus, a famous 
astronomer of Cyzicus, in Mysia, three hundred and 
thirty years before Christ, invented a Cycle, which 
consisted of a period of seventy-six years, embracing 

1. Prid. Con. vol. ii., p. 184 — 188. 2. Ibid, p. 87. 

3. Prid. Con. vol. iii., p. 313. 

4. "What we complain of in the above is, the tendency o( such 
looseness, in the treatment of a subject of this abstruse nature, to 
produce confusion in the mind oi an ordinary reader. One such 
instance, with many, is quite sufficient to arrest all further inquiry. 



176 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

precisely four of the Metonie Cycles ; the effect of 
which was, to give a difference of only one day be- 
tween the termination of each Calippic and four Me- 
tonie Cycles, a period of seventy-six years ! 

Now, of the two above Cycles, though the learned 
Dean Prideaux says of the Metonie, that it continued 
to regulate the Grecian Olympiads down to the time 
when Christianity gained the ascendancy in the Roman 
Empire ; l yet of the Calippic Cycle he says, that it 
" was most in reputation among the Greeks, for the 
bringing of the reckonings of the sun and moon's 
motions to an agreement," 2 only about one hundred 
years after the Cycle of Meto, the latter being invented 
four hundred and thirty-two years before Christ — the 
former three hundred and thirty years before Christ. 

Confidence in these deductions, however, increases 
with the advances of astronomical science in after 
ages, in the more accurate measurements of solar time. 
Of these advances, as connected with those which 
more immediately concern us, it is only necessary that 
we advert to our account 3 of the Julian and the Ju- 
liano-Gregorian solar year, as the universally admitted 
standard 4 for the measurement of time in chrono- 
logical science. 

One very important question now to be decided is, 



1. Prid., Con. vol. ii., p. 188. 

2. Prid.. Con. vol. iii., p. 314. 

3. See pp. 40, 41., &c. 

4. I here assume the responsibility to add, since ilw period of the 
Flood. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 177 

whether sacred time, Ante-diluvian and Post-dilu- 
vian, agree the one with the other ? Our solar year, 
as is evident from the preceding, amounts to nearly 
three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter. 
But according to Shuckford, it appears, that " before 
the Flood, the solar year was three hundred and sixty 
days ; " that it embraced twelve months, each of thirty 
days ; l that " in that space of time the sun made one 
entire revolution ; " and consequently, that " all the 
time of the Ante-diluvian world, chronology was fixed 
and easy," &c. 

But, have we scripture evidence of this fact ? We 
answer affirmatively, and that too of the most un- 
questionable kind. Moses, in his " computation of 
the duration of the flood/' tells us that it began "on 
the seventeenth day of the second month ; 2 prevailed 
without any sensible abatement for one hundred and 
fifty days ; 3 and that the Ark lodged on mount Ara- 
rat on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. 4 
So that we see, from the seventeenth of the second 
month, to the seventeenth of the seventh month, (i. e. ? 
for five whole months,) he allows one hundred and 
and fifty days, which is just thirty days to each 
month, for five times thirty days are a one hundred 
and fifty." 5 

Now, this computation of the duration of the Flood, 
we say, must have been regulated by the Ante-dilu- 



1. Shuck. Con. Vol. i., p. 11. 

2. Gen. vii., 11. 3. Gen. vii., 24, 

4. Gen. viii., 3, 4. 5. Shuck, Con. Vol. i.. p. 11. 10. 



178 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

vian Standard ; and for the simple reason, that no 
miraculous communication had been made of the 
difference between a solar Ante-diluvian and a solar 
Post-diluvian year. Nor, considering the state of 
astronomical science at the time Moses wrote his his- 
tory, is there any ground for surprise at his omission 
to recognize this difference, the first attempt to correct 
the Egyptian year by astronomical observations not 
having been made till near one hundred and fifty 
years after his death. 

These premises admitted, where, we ask, the pro- 
priety of measuring sacred ante-diluvian time by the 
post-diluvian solar year, the necessary result of which 
is, the addition thereto (i. e., a period of one thousand 
six hundred and fifty-six years) of above twenty-three 
years ? 

Another question now presents itself, viz. : — Can 
the sacred or Jewish year (lunar,) historic and pro- 
phetic, be made to harmonize with the Julian solar 
year ? On the answer to this question depends the 
merits of all our subsequent deductions, — as, without 
this harmony, the difference between the Jewish com- 
mon year at three hundred and sixty days, and that of 
the Julian solar year at three hundred and sixty-five days 
and about a quarter, when applied to a given period, 
will vary in the proportion of one year plus the for- 
mer, to every thirty-two years of the latter. Our po- 
sition therefore in reference to the above, is as fol- 
lows, — 

As of the Julian solar year, so of the Jewish lunar 
year — intercalary time was a characteristic pe- 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 179 



culiar to both. Hence the harmony of the one with 
the other. 

On this subject however, there is a difference of 
opinion among the learned, so far at least as relates to 
the period between the Flood and the captivities. 
Shuckford, for instance, says, — we do not find that 
God, by any special appointment, corrected the year 
for the Jews. — And we do not any where read that 
Moses ever made a correction of it. And speaking of 
the Jewish intercalary year, he observes that we no- 
where in the books of the Old Testament find any 
mention of such a month ; and he quotes Scaliger as 
being positive, that there was no such intercalary 
month in the time of Moses, or of the Judges, or of 
the Kings ; and finally, that a year consisted of 
twelve months in the times of David and Solomon, 1 
&c. These declarations to the contrary notwithstand- 
ing however, the learned Doctor admits that there 
was an actual change in solar time, Ante-diluvian 
and Post-diluvian, to the amount of Jive days and al- 
most six hours, and that this change took place at the 
Flood ; 2 also, that as soon as it was observed, philo- 
sophers endeavored to set right their chronology by 
it, inasmuch as the ancient (ante-diluvian solar) 
measure of a year would not do, &c. 

According, then, to the above, it is not singular that 
Moses never corrected the solar year ; nor that the in- 



1. Comp. 1 Kings iv., 5, with 1 Chron, Xivii, Sec Shuck. Con. 
Vol. i., p. 11, 12. 

2. Ibid. Vol. i., p. 8. 



180 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

tercalary year was unknown, not only in his time, but 
in that also of the Judges and Kings. But what does 
this argue ? Certainly that Divine Providence left the 
discovery to the province of artificial means, respect- 
ing which Moses, &c, had not the sagacity to find out! 
Now, though it be conceded that there was no Di- 
vine revelation given of the changes in the ante-dilu- 
vian and post-diluvian year, between the year of the 
Flood, A. M.j 1656j and the mission of Moses, A. M., 
2513, an interval of eight hundred and fifty-seven 
years ; — is it true also as applicable to the time of 
the Judges and Kings, or even of the entire mission 
of Moses ? This is a point which merits investiga- 
tion ; and as connected with the subject now under 
discussion, we remark, it is evident that, in the time 
of David, as recorded in First Chronicles, the twelfth 
and thirty-second verse, the practice of astronomical 
observations among the Hebrews, is more than inti- 
mated in the words, " and of the children of Issachar, 
which were men that had under standing of the times, 
to know xohat Israel ought to do? If there be any 
doubts as to the import of this passage, so far as we 
can place reliance upon the readings of the Targum, it 
is as follows : — " They (the children of Issachar) were 
skilful in the knowledge of times, and wise to fix the 
beginning of the years ; dextrous at setting the new 
moons, and fixing their feasts at their seasons? ! 
Nor is this all. We are furnished with a nucleus to the 



1. J. Bichen, A.M. Signs of the Times, 1808 .Flemings Apocal. 
Key. Appendix, p. 153. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 181 

mode by which they done this. The Divine faithful- 
ness, in lengthening the days of King Hezekiah fifteen 
years, was confirmed by the miraculous throwing back 
fo the shadow on the sun-dial of Ahaz, l ten degrees. 
And though it does not appear by whom, and when 
this sun-dial was first brought into use : yet, query, 
with whom so probable as with the astronomical 
" children of Issachar ? " That Tribe, in the num- 
bering of Israel, stands next in order to that of Judah? 
The insignia of Issachar was that of the " strong ass, 
crouching down between two burdens." 3 Upon their 
entrance into Canaan, Issachar was one of the six 
Tribes appointed to stand on Mount Ephraim to bless 
the people ; 4 and the princes or Issachar were with De- 
borah, in her war against Jabin and Sisera." 5 Now, 
to this conspicuous Tribe, and to no other, can the 
learned Prideaux refer, when, speaking of the mea- 
surement of Jewish time " while they lived in their 
own land," he says, they " might easily receive no- 
tice of what was ordained in this matter by those who 
had the care and ordering of it? 6 But this carries 
us back, if not to the time of Moses, yet certainly to 
that of Joshua, his immediate successor. But if, as 
Dean Prideaux terms it, the " inartificial n mode o{ 
reckoning time by the Hebrews, can be shown to have 



1. Kings xx., 9. Isa. xxxviii., 8. 2. Num. i., 29; ii 

3. Gen. xi., 14. 4. Dent, xxvii.. lg. 

5. Judges iv. ; — v., 1, 5. 6. Prid. Con; vol. i., Jk 98; 



16 



182 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

commenced in the time of Moses, it is then evident 
that the Jewish year, from the period of his mission 
down to the time of Solomon, could not have been 
reckoned exclusively by a year of twelve months, each 
of thirty days. 

We deem it, however, indispensable to our subse- 
quent inquiries, that we enter into this matter some- 
what in detail : in doing which, in order to fix in the 
mind what we conceive to be the true nature of Jewish 
time, and to show its harmony with our Julian solar 
year, we shall lay down the following rule, viz. : — 

" That though the Jewish ordinary year 
is to be attended to when but few years 
are under consideration ; YET, in a long suc- 
cession OF TIME THEY ARE NOT TO BE NOTICED J 
FOR BY INTERCALATIONS THEY AMOUNT TO THE 
SAME WITH SOLAR TIME." l 

I. Of the post-diluvian sacred year from the Flood 
to the mission of Moses, the Hebrews no doubt com- 
puted time by the ante-diluvian solar year of three 
hundred and sixty days. During their bondage in 
Egypt, they were probably regulated in their mode of 
reckoning by the Egyptian calendar. " But that the 
Israelites made use of (either) after their coming out 
of Egypt can never be made consisting with the Mo- 
saical Law." 2 For, 



1. J. Bicheno, A. M. Signs of the Times. Fleming, appendix, 
p. 143. 

2. Prid. Con. vol. i., p. 100. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 183 

II. At the time of the Exode, " the Lord spake 
unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, say- 
ing, This month shall be unto you the beginning of 
months : it shall be the first month of the 
year to you J 7 1 And again, " And thou shall num- 
ber seven Sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times 
seven years, and the space of the seven Sabbaths 
of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. 
Then shall thou cause the trumpet of the Jubilee 
to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; 
in the day of atonement shall ye make the trum- 
pet sound in all your land ; and ye shall hallow 
the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all 
the land, unto all the inhabitants thereof ; it shall be 
a Jubilee unto you : and ye shall return every man 
unto his possession, and ye shall return every man 
unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be 
unto you ; ye shall not sow, neither reap, that which 
groweth of itself in it ; neither gather the grapes in 
it of the vine undressed.' 1 '' 2 These two passages con- 
stitute the basis of sacred time, according to the Jewish 
reckoning. From the first is formed their Ecclesiasti 
cal year, which takes its rise from the observance of 
the Passover, instituted in the month of Nisan. near 
the time of the vernal Equinox. From the second, 
the Civil year, or the period of the Jubilee, which re- 
stored to every individual Jew his civil rights and for- 
feited possessions, and which was celebrated in the 
month of Tisri, about the time of the autumnal 

1. Exod., xii., 1, 2. 2. Lev. xxv.; 8— 11. 



184 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Equinox. While, therefore, the former year was used 
to adjust the observance of their fasts, festivals, and 
other ecclesiastical times and concerns, the latter form- 
ed the basis of all their computations in the regulation 
of their Jubilees and Sabbatical years, and other civil 
matters, such as contracts, obligations, &c. 

The month Nisan, in which commenced the Jewish 
ecclesiastical year, is also called Abib. 1 The Passo- 
ver, instituted under Moses in this month, was their 
"principal festival, appointed as a perpetual memento 
of their Exode from Egypt. The time of its observ- 
ance was fixed by a divine command. 2 This direc- 
tion very naturally led to the measurement of time by 
months; in doing which (in the absence of a more 
perfect knowledge of astronomical science) they could 
only determine the length of the year by marking the 
phasis, or appearance of the moon. From one new 
moon to the other, therefore, they could tell the num- 
ber of days in each month by the number of days of 
their loeek. 3 Hence, at the appearance of the neio 
moon they began their months. But the course of 
the moon, i. e., from one new moon to another, con- 
sisting of twenty-nine days and a half, to avoid the 
confusion, otherwise arising from this circumstance, 
they made their months to consist of twenty-nine and 
of thirty days, alternately ; " and of twelve of these 



1. Deut. xvi., 1. 
2. Exod. xii.j 2; Lev. xxiii., 5; ISum. ix.. 2 — 5; xxviii., 16, 
17. 

3. Exod. xx. } 8 — 11. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 185 

months their common year consisted." They were 
as follows : — 

Nisan, orAbib 29 days Tisri. or Ethanim,.. 29 days 

Iyar, or Tziv, 30 days Bui, or Marchesvan, 30 days 

Sivan, 29 days Cisleu, 29 days 

Tamuz, 30 days Tebet, 30 days 

Ab, 29 days Shebat, 29 days 

Elul, 30 days Adar, 30 days 

But their ecclesiastical year commencing with Nisan, 
or Abib, as above, and including these twelve months, 
made up a lunar year of only three hundred and fifty- 
four days, which, in one year, fell eleven days short 
of the solar year ; in consequence of which, the se- 
cond lunar year commenced earlier than the solar by 
eleven days ; and this, " in thirty-three years time, 
would carry back the beginning of the year (lunar) 
through all the four seasons to the same point again, 
and get a whole year from the solar reckoning." 
Hence, independently of some medium to harmonize 
lunar and solar time, it were impossible to adhere to 
the Divine command as to the time of observing the 
Passover. 

To remedy this defect, the Hebrews had recourse to 
the following expedient. Their Paschal Festival, " the 
first day of which was always fixed to the middleof their 
month Nisan ;" l their Pentecost fifty days after : a and 
their feast of Tabernacles, on the fifteenth of Tisri, 



1. Exod. xii., 3 — 20; Lev. xxiii., 4 — 8; Num. xxviii.. 16, 17. 

2. Lev. xxiii., 15 — 17; Deut. xvi.. \\ 

16* 



186 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

six months after ; l as the first required the eating of the 
Paschal Lamb, and the offering up of the wave-sheaf, 
as the first-fruits of their barley harvest — the second, 
the offering of the two wave-loaves, as the first-fruits 
of their wheat harvest — and the third, being the 
time fixed for the ingathering of all the fruits of the 
earth, " the Passover could not be observed till the 
lambs were grown fit to be eaten, and the barley fit to 
be reaped ; nor the Pentecost, till the wheat was ripe ; 
nor the feast of the Tabernacles, till the ingatherings 
of the vine-yard and olive-yard were over." Hence 
the necessity of intercalating their lunar year, 
which was done in the following manner : " When- 
ever, according to the course of the common year, the 
fifteenth day of Nisan happened to fall before the day 
of their vernal equinox, then they intercalated a 
month, and then the Paschal solemnity was thereby 
carried one month farther into the year, and all the other 
festivals with it. This intercalary month, being added 
at the end of the year, after the last month, Adar, they 
called Veadar, or the second Adar, which made that 
year consist of thirteen months, or three hundred and 
eighty-four days. This intercalation either took place 
on the second or third year, as the case might be, and 
formed the Jewish leap year, from the institution of 
the Passover under Moses, down to the time of the 
Captivities. 

We deem it incontrovertible, therefore, that, accord- 
ing to the Mosaical law, as their year during the last 
named period, was made up of months purely lunar, it 

1. Lev. xxiii., 34 — 39. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



187 



could in no other way he made to harmonize with solar 
time than by an intercalary month. Not, however, 
that it is pretended that their months can be fixed to 
any certain day in the Julian calendar, they falling 
always within the compass of thirty days, sooner or 
later therein, as will appear from the following : — 



1. Nisan, 

2. Iyar, 

3. Sivan, 

4. Tamuz, 

5. Ab, 

6. Elul, 



k March. 
\ April. 

S April. 
May. 
{ May. 
\ June. 
( June. 
\ July. 

< July. 
( August. 

C August. 
( September. 



7. Tizri, 



8. Marchesvan 



■i 



9. Cisleu, 



10. Tebet, 



11. Shebat, 



12. Adar, 



September. 
October. 

October. 
November. 

{ November. 
\ December. 

S December. 
January. 
{ January. 
\ February. 

( February. 
\ March. 



III. After the captivities, and when the Jews be- 
came dispersed through all nations, they were forced 
to make use of Cycles and astronomical calculations 
for the fixing of their new moons and intercalations, 
and the times of their feasts, fasts, and other ob- 
servances, that so they might be everywhere uniform 
herein. The first Cycle they made use of for this 
purpose 1 vjas that of eighty-four years : by this 
they fixed their Paschal feast, and by that their 
v)hole year besides ; and the use hereof the primitive 
Christians borrowed from them, and for some of 
the first centuries, fixed their Easter in every year 
according to it: but this, after some time } being 



1. Vide Bucherium de antiquo Paschali Jiuhroruni Cyclo, 



188 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

found to be faulty r , Meto's Cycle of nineteen years l 
was, after the council of Nice, brought into use by 
them for this purpose instead of the other ; and the 
Jews, following their example herein, almost about 
the same time, came into the same usage also; and on 
this Cycle is founded the present form of their year. 
The first who began to work it into this shape, 2 was 
Rabbi Samuel, rector of the Jewish school at Sora, 
in Mesopotamia : Rabbi Adda, xoho was a great 
astronomer, pursued his scheme ; and after him, 
Rabbi Hillel, about A. D. 360, brought it to that 
perfection in which it now is ; and being Nasi, or 
prince of their sanhedrim, he gave it the authority 
of his sanction, and by virtue thereof it hath ever 
since been observed by them, and they say always is 
to be observed to the coming of the Messiah. Accord- 
ing to this form 3 there are, within the compass of 
the said nineteen years Cycle, seven intercalated 
years, consisting of thirteen months, and twelve com- 
mon years, consisting of twelve months. The inter- 
calated years are the third, the sixth, the eighth, the 
eleventh, the fourteenth, the seventeenth, and the 



1. Epistola Ambrosii 83 ad episcopus per iEmiliam constitutes. 
It was by the council of Nice referred to the church of Alexandria, 
every year to fix the time of Easter, and they did it by Meio's Cycle 
of nineteen years. 

2. Juchasin j Shalsheleth Haccabala ; & Zemach David, & ex 
iisdem Morinus in exercitat. Prima in Pentateuchum Samarita- 
num, cap. 3. 

3. Talmud in Rosh Hasshanah. Maimonides in Kiddush Ha- 
chodesh, & Seldenus de Anno Civili veterum Judseorum. 



AGE OF THE WORLD. &C. 189 



nineteenth of that Cycle ; and when one round of 
this Cycle is over, they begin another ; and so con- 
stantly, according to it, fix their new moons (at 
which all their months begin) and all their fasts 
and feasts in every year. And this form of their 
year, it must be acknowledged, is very exactly and 
astronomically contrived, and may truly be reckoned 
the greatest piece of art and, ingenuity that is to be 
found among that people.'''' l And, " since the Jew- 
ish calendar hath been fixed by Rabbi Hillel, upon the 
certain foundations of astronomy, tables may indeed 
be made, which may point out to what day in that cal- 
endar every day in the Julian year shall answer ; " 
and the same rule, if applied to the time which pre- 
ceded A. D. 360, regulates the otherwise inaccurate 
intercalary time of the Jewish reckoning, as arising 
both from the inartificial mode of their intercalations, 
by the phasis and appearance of the moon, or by their 
Cycle of eighty-four years. 

But, as of the Jewish ecclesiastical, so of their civil 
year. Their Jubilees, which were celebrated every 
fiftieth year, were periods of seven sabbaths of years 
complete, with an independent year added on, com- 
pleting half a century, when seven sabbaths wore 
numbered again, and so on ; the following account of 
which we have in the book of Leviticus : Says the 
Lord to Moses, " a Jubilee shall that fiftieth year be 
unto you — ye shall not sow. In the year of this Ju- 
bilee ye shall return, every man unto Ins possession.? : 

1. Prideaux, vol. i., pp. 98, 99. 2. Lev. xxv., 19 — 13, 



190 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Now, it is plain from the following, viz. : — " When 
ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the 
land keep a Sabbath unto the Lord : six years shalt 
thou sow thy fields, but in the seventh shall be a sab- 
bath of rest unto the Lord, &c.," l that the direction for 
counting the seven sabbatical years that precede the 
Jubilee is the same as that of the single sabbatical 
year — one command serves for all. Nor are we left 
to conjecture as to whether the first sabbatical year of 
the series begins with a Jubilee ; that being directly 
contrary to the Divine command, which prohibits all 
solving and reaping' on that year. 2 Nor is it at all 
necessary to the completion of the fifty years Jubilee, 
that the first in the series should be a Jubilee. This is 
evident from its analogy with the feast of Pentecost, 
for the calculating of which the following direction 
was given :— " And ye shall count unto you from the 
morrow after the sabbath, &c, seven sabbaths shall 
be complete, even unto the morroio after the seventh 
sabbath shall ye number fifty days." 3 " Now from 
the morrow after the first sabbath, to the morrow after 
the seventh sabbath, both inclusive, are fifty days, inde- 
pendent of the sabbath from which the period is really 
dated ; but from which it is carefully separated in the 
direction for the mode of reckoning." 4 

On the subject of Jubilees, "Dr. Prideaux both 
makes the Jubilee the fiftieth year, and allows also six 
years of sowing to each septenary, without mutilating 



1. Lev. xxv., 3, 4. 2. Lev. xxv., 11 — 13. 

3. Lev. xxiii., 15. 4. Investigator, vol. iv., p. 124. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 191 

any one series. He also makes the Jubilee to be the 
fiftieth year every time it revolves." 1 The learned 
Doctor " rejects the Jubilee years, together with the 
sabbatical years, from his chronological system ; " 2 
but of those who adopt it, to the exclusion of an inter- 
calary year, he says, "it is indeed the truth of the 
matter ', and I know no objection against it, but that 
it exposeth the error of those, who, thinking that the 
sabbatical years did always happen each exactly on 
the seventh year after the former, have in that order 
and series placed them in their chronological compu- 
tations ; without considering, that after every forty- 
ninth year, a jubilee year did intervene between the 
Shemittah that then ended, and the beginning of the 
next that followed." 3 To this may be added the fact, 
that " many learned men on the Continent inclined 
to this opinion so late as the middle of the last cen- 
tury, as may be seen from the following words of 
Michaelis : " if those are right who place the Jubilee 
in the fiftieth year, there must every half century 
have been two years of rest in immediate succession. 
For the forty-ninth was a seventh year, and of course 
a year of rest ; and in the fiftieth year the land was in 
like manner to keep holiday. And however para- 
doxical this may seem, it does appear to be the mean- 
ing of the Mosaic statute." 4 

Of the application of Jubilees in chronological com- 



1. Ibid. 2, Ibid. p. 131. 

3. Investigator, vol. iv., p. 131. 

4. Investigator, vol. iv., p. 131. Com. on Law of Moses, vol. L, 
p. 388. 



192 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

putations, we shall have occasion to speak in the 
sequel. 

Finally, on the subject of the Jewish mode of 
reckoning time as above set forth, we remark, that, 
whether, during their sojourn in their own land, or 
under the kings, captivities, &;c, we think we have 
demonstrated the correctness of the Rule, " that 
though the Jewish ordinary year is to be attended to 
when but few years are under consideration, yet, in 
a long succession of time, they are not to be noticed, 
for by Intercalations, they amount to the same with 
solar timeP It only remains therefore that Ave apply 
the same process to the aggregate of years from the 
deluge to the present year of our Lord, one thousand 
eight hundred and forty-two, in sacred chronological 
computations, Historic and Prophetic, as that adopted 
in the regulation of our vulgar Era. The references 
of the learned Shuckford to 1 kings iv., 5, compared 
with 1 Chron. xxvii., 15, as evidence that in the time 
of the kings, sacred time, whether embracing one or 
five hundred years, was computed at three hundred 
and sixty days each, can never be reconciled with their 
use of intercalations, which we have shown in one 
form or other to have been coeval with the time of 
Moses. The precedent for computing time according 
to the Ante-diluvian solar year, as predicated of the 
Mosaic account of the continuance of the waters of 
the Flood upon the Earth, Genesis vii., 11, viii., 4, 
vii., 24, seems to have furnished sufficient grounds for 
its subsequent use on all ordinary occasions, for the 
obvious reason that it approximated nearer on the one 



AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 193 

hand to post-diluvian solar time than the Jewish 
Lunar year ; and on the other, furnished greater faci- 
lities for the computation of smaller periods, as 1 
Chron. xxvii., 15. And, if applicable in this respect 
to the time of the kings, then also of the Prophets. 
Hence their adoption, in their prophetic numbers, (all 
of which were computed by days^) of the above year. 
But these prophetic numbers, counting, as they do, 
" each day for a year" and extending as they do, to 
" the end of all things, " must necessarily be inter- 
preted by the intercalary and cyclical computations, 
common, as well to the historic and prophetic records 
of the Jews from the time of Moses, as to the Gentiles. 

These premises admitted, and it follows, that sacred 
time, Historic and Prophetic, is the same. Also, that 
sacred time, by intercalations, account to the same as 
solar time. 

To return now to that golden chain of measure- 
ment of the entire sabbatical day of God's rest of 
which we have already spoken, and to which the pre- 
ceding disquisition respecting the Criteria of measur- 
ing time Jewish and Julian is introductory, we pro- 
ceed without further delay to remark, that, for the 
chronological data of the first part of this chain, we 
shall rely upon the Historical Records of the Old Tes- 
tament. It will also serve our present convenience, 
to divide it into the following periods. 

I. The first, extends from the creation and fell, to 
the Deluge. 

II. The second, from the Deluge, to the call of 
Abraham. 

17 



194 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

III. The third, from the call of Abraham, to the 
Exodus. 

IV. The fourth, from the Exodus, to the end of the 
reign of Saul. 

V. The fifth, from the death of Saul to the com- 
mencement of the Babylonish Captivity. 

VI. The sixth, the Captivity. 

VII. The interval, between the end of the Captivity, 
and the commencement of the seventy prophetic weeks 
of Daniel. 

At this point, viz., the commencement of the seventy 
prophetic weeks of David, begins the designation of 
Time, reaching thence to the End of the world, by 
the great prophetic Chronometer, of which IT forms 
the basis ; and which, taken in connexion with Da- 
niel's visions of the Image of gold, silver, brass, iron 
and clay; (Dan. ii ;) of the vision of the four beasts, 
&c, rising up out of the Sea; (Dan. vii;) and of the 
vision of the Ram and the He-Goat, &c, (Dan. viii ;) 
constitute, as the celebrated Mede expresses it, " the 

SACRED KALENDAR AND GREAT ALMANACK OF PRO- 
PHECY." l 

Let us, first, however, pass through the several pe- 
riods above named, down to the point where it com- 
mences its measurement by prophecy, as beginning 
with the seventy prophetic weeks of Daniel. 

Of the extraordinary discrepancies of scriptural 
Chronologists, in this department, we have already 
spoken. 2 

1. Mede's Apos. of the latter times, ch. xii. 2. See p. 153. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 195 

These discrepancies however, may be traced to pre- 
dilections in favor of one rather than another, of the 
various sources of information on this subject. 

"If we pass, however, from the Chronologies, 
whether Jewish or Grecian, Arabic or Christian, to 
the only true and original sources of the world's 
early Chronology, we find the question narrowed. 
These are, the Genealogies of the Patriarch's, ante- 
diluvian and post-diluvian, as given in the Book of 
Genesis, and the subsequent Chronological notices of 
the Judges and kings of Israel." We have already 
assigned the reason for adopting the Chronology of 
the Hebrew text in preference to any other. 1 And, 
"were the Chronology thence dedncible continuous, 
and the authority of the Hebrew text in them un- 
doubted, the date of the creation and outline of early 
Chronology would be settled. But this is not the 
case. There are tvjo breaks in the Chronology of the 
period between Moses and Saul ; and on the numbers 
in the Patriarchal genealogies there is a remarkable 
discrepancy in the Hebrew text, the Samaritan, and 
that of the Septuagint translation." 2 The tables 
which follow, will serve to exhibit this discrepancy, 
which we deem it of importance to examine, in order 
to a more satisfactory evidence of the entire superiority 
of the Hebrew text. 

"It is," however, "to be remembered that the 
Septuagint was a Greek translation from the 
Hebrew, made B. C. 210, and having boon soon 

1. See p. 116 — 119. 2. Investigator, vol. iv., p. 331. 



196 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



received as of authority by the Jews dispersed 
over the countries of the Mediterranean, quoted by 
the Evangelists, and reverenced by the early Christ- 
ian fathers, almost beyond the Hebrew text itself, it 
must ever be regarded on doubtful points as an author- 
ity of no mean weight. There are added in the 
fourth column the numbers as given by the famous 
historian Josephus, in his " Jewish antiquities," and 
which he translated, he tells us, (this was about 
94, A. D.) faithfully from the original." 



Antediluvian Pc 


driarchs 
Heb. 


Sam. 


Sept: 


'osephus. 


1 . Jlda?n 


130 
105 

90 

70 

65 

162 

65 

187 

182 

600 


130 

105 

90 

:o 

65 
62 
65 
67 
53 
600 


230 
205 

190 
170 
165 
162 
165 
187 
188 
600 


230 


2. Seth 


205 


3. Enos 


190 


4. Cainan 


170 


5. Mahalaleel 


165 


6. Jasred ....*• 


162 


7. Enoch 


(1)65* 

187 


8. Methuselah 


9. Lamech 


182 


[0. Noah 


600 








0656 


1307 


2262 


2256 



* 165 is doubtless the correct reading. 

" It is important to observe that the variations in 
this table are evidently not the effect of accident, but 
design ; because the years before the son's birth and 
the residues agree in all the cases with the totals of 
lives ; — with this exception, that in the Samaritan, 
the residues in the 5th, 7th, and 9th, are short- 
ened, to adapt them to the shorter period between 
Jareb and the flood," 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



197 



Thus, in the Heb. and Samaritan Adam has 1 30-f-800=:930 i 

In the Sept. and Josephus 230+700=930 \ years * 

Again, in the Heb. and Samar., Seth has 105+807=912 i 

In the Sept. and Josephus 205+707=912 \ years - 

" On the whole, in this table the question will 
lie between 1656 years, the computation in the He- 
brew, and 2256, that in Josephus" With the latter, 
the Septuagint agrees in every point, but in having 
188 instead of 182 in the case of Lamech ; and here the 
Heb. supports Josephus : with the Heb. the Samar- 
itan agrees in seven cases out of the ten ; and where 
it differs, Josephus and the Septuagint are with the 
Hebrew. " 

In the table of the Post-diluvian Patriarchs the 
case is different. Here the Samaritan, Septuagint, 
and Josephus, all agree in the longer computation. 



Post-diluvian Patriarchs. 

Heb* Samar. 



11. Shem, (aged 100 at the flood). 

12. Arphaxad 

Cainan, (spurious.) 

13. Salah 

14. Hcber 



15. Peleg, 

16. Rcu.. 



17. Serug, . 

18. Nahor . 

19. Terah* 



20 to Abraham. 



2 
35 

30 
34 
30 
32 
30 
29 
130 



359 



2 
135 

130 
134 
130 
132 
130 
7!> 
130 






135 
(130) 
130 
134 
130 
133 
130 
79 
130 



1009 ! 1002 



12 

135 

130 
134 
130 
130 
139 
100 
130 



1053 



* Abraham's birth is usually placed at the 70th year of Terah, on 
the supposition of his having been Terah's eldest son. But the nar- 

17* 



198 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 

"Here the choice will lie between the 352 years of 
the Heb., and the 1002 of the Samaritan and corrected 
Septuagint copies :" — corrected by the rejection of the 
second Cainan as a spurious generation. For as the 
Septuagint itself omits this in its repetition of the 
genealogies 1 Chron. i., 24 ; and in Gen. xi., 12, not 
only the Heb. and Samaritan copies omit it, but Jo- 
sephus also, and all the ancient versions and Targums 
without exception ; the most judicious chronologers 
whether adopting the Hebreiv chronology or the Sep- 
tuagint, agree, for the most part, in rejecting it. 

Now, then, the question of the comparative credi- 
bility of the numbers, as given in the Greek and Jo- 
sephus, or in the Hebreiv, the evidence to be consid- 
ered is threefold : comprehending — 1. The authority 
of the respective MSS. — 2. The evidence from the na- 
ture of things treated of, — and 3. Supposing wilful 
adulterations of the text to have taken place on one 
or the other side, (of which there can be no doubt,) 
the evidence as to any probable inducements with 
one, rather than with the other, to make the alteration. 

I. The direct evidence of MSS., may be consider- 
ed as preponderating in favor of the Hebrew, in the 
Table of the ante-diluvian patriarchs, the Samaritan 
generally agreeing with it ; — in that of the post-diluv- 



rative of Moses, as Usher has shown, determines his birth to the 
130th year of Terah. For, comparing Gen. xi. 32, and xii. 4, it ap- 
pears that on Terah's death, at the age of 205, Abram, who then left 
Haran, was 75 years old. Earan appears to have been Terah's 
eldest son. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



199 



ian it may rather be considered as in favor of Josep ' us 
and the Septuagint, — the Samaritan agrees more 
nearly with them. There is, however, this important 
circumstance in favor of the Hebrew, that the Samari- 
tan, adding the totals as well as the residues, (which 
the Hebrew and Septuagint do not,) these totals do, 
with two exceptions, accord with the Hebrew compu- 
tation, not with that of the Septaagint. This disa- 
greement indicates error and tampering with the pas- 
sage, either in the Septuagint or the Samaritan; 
and consequently diminishes the evidence derivable 
from their agreement in favor of those numbers in U>e 
first column in which they agree.* 





Hfbrew. 




Age. 


Res- 


Total- 


Shem . . . 


102 


500 


602 


Arphaxad 


35 


403 


438 


Salah 


30 


403 


433 


Heber .... 


34 


430 


464 


Peleg 


30 


209 


239 


Rue 


32 


207 


239 


Semg 1 .. . . 


30 


200 


230 


Nahor .. .. 


29 


119 


148 


Te.ah... 


70 


-. 


205 



Samaritan. 


Age. 


Res. 


Total- 
600t 


102 


500 


135 


303 


438 


130 


303 


433 


134 


270 


404 


130 


109 


239 


132 


107 


239 


130 


100 


230 


79 


69 


148 


70* 


— 


145 



Septuagint. 


Age. 


Res. 


Total. 


102 


500 


602 


135 


403 


538 


130 


303 


460 


134 


270 


404 


130 


209 


339 


132 


207 


339 


139 


200 


330 


79 


129 


208 


70* 


— 


205 



* i p 



to the birth of his eldest son. t It should be 602. 



On the whole, there being on this head of evidence 
nothing sufficiently conclusive, increasing impor- 
tance attaches to — 



* The Rev. Jos. Wolff informs me— " In the ancient MSS which 
I saw at Bokhara the chronological notices of the Length of the lives 
both of the Ante-diluvian and Post-diluvian patriarchs were e» 

according to the received 11 B k\y tex\ though the letters of the 
MSS resembled the Samaritan." 



200 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

IT. The second head of evidence, viz, that from the 
nature of the things treated of. This is of a kind 
within the reach of every understanding ; and it is on 
this that Mr. Clinton has argued conclusively, as it 
appears to me, in favor of the Hebrew. 

Against the Hebrew, Hales and Jackson had raised 
the following arguments ; 1. that the age of puberty 
(of the naidoyoviu} maybe considered as beginning after 
the lapse of one third part of life ; and consequently, 
that, when the average length of life was from 
400 to 200 years, it was contrary to the course of 
nature for a w* n to have a son so early as 32 years 
of age, the average age according to the Hebrew, 
from Arphaxad to T rah. 2. That the short 
Hebrew computation is inconsistent with our ac- 
counts of the populousness of the earth at the time of 
Abraham ; — as also 3. with the prevalence ol idol- 
atry in Abraham's country before his call ; — Noah, 
Shem, &c, being by the computation, still living. 

The answer is, as to the first ; the age of puberty 
begins now much earlier than after the passing of a 
third part of life : and what it is now, that we have 
Scripture evidence to prove that it was when the 
longevity of man was much greater. For in- 
stance, Jadah at 48 was a great-grandfather. Ben 
jamin at 30 had 11 sons. Between Ephraim 
and Joshua there were 10 generations and 
180 years ; which gives 20 years on an average to a 
generation. 

This being the case, — the naidoyowa beginning 
then at about the same age as now, and continuing 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 201 

much longer, the rapid increase of the population, 
which the Hebrew copy supposes, between the flood 
and Abraham, is really accounted for. " In the present 
state of mankind it is calculated that the numbers of a 
people, under favorable circumstances, may be doubled 
in 10 years. It has been proved by other calcula- 
tions, that the numbers have actually doubled in pe- 
riods of 12 and four-fifth years, for short periods. In 
parts of North-America it is acknowledged that the peo- 
ple there doubled their numbers in 15 years. The 
Israelites in Egypt doubled their numbers in periods of 
something less than fifteen years. Now the first fa- 
milies after the flood were placed in circumstances 
more favorable to rapid increase, than in any other 
period of mankind. They were not gradually emerg- 
ing* from barbarism, but possessed all the arts and civ- 
ilization of the Ante-diluvian world. They had 
unoccupied land before them, and their lives were ex- 
tended to 500, 400, and 200 years. If we assume 
then, that the population doubled itself in periods of 
12 years, the population of the earth, beginning fro l 
six parents, would at 226 years arrive at more than 
50,000,000 of persons, and in 300 years would 
amount to 200,000,000. If we take only the actual 
rate of increase which we know to have occurred in 
Egypt, and suppose fifteen years to be the period of 
doubling, still the numbers of mankind would attain 
50,000,000 in 345 years, and would reach 200,000.000 
in 373 years from the flood. I think the former 
calculation the most probable ; but, even in the 



202 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 



latter case, the number of mankind would have 
reached 200,000,000 in the 24th year of Abraham. 

" The circumstances of the dispersion of mankind 
are in favor of the shorter computation of the Hebrew 
copy. The dispersion was effected by the immediate 
interposition of providence in opposition to the incli- 
nations of mankind, who desired to dwell together, 
and were averse to the dispersion. Their object was 
to remain collected in one city. They built the 
Tower " lest they should be scattered abroad upon 
the face of the whole earthP It is manifest then, 
that the dispersion was commanded while they were 
yet few in number. It was directed prospectively, 
with a view to prevent the evils that would arise from 
crowded numbers in a limited space. But at the time 
assigned to this event by the longer dates, more 
than 500 years after the flood, it was evident this 
was no longer the condition of mankind. For since, 
(as we have shown) their numbers would increase in 
the common progress of things to many millions, their 
dispersion would then have been no longer a matter 
of choice, but of necessity. It could not have pro- 
ceeded from a divine command providing against a 
future evil, but would have been forced upon them by 
the actual presence of that evil. The dispersion then 
in the days of Peleg took effect at an earlier period, 
while the number of mankind was yet a few thou- 
sands ; and Peleg was born where the Hebrew text 
places him, 101 years after the flood. It is 
not likely that the numbers of mankind when they 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 2C3 

received the command to separate, and prepared 
to inhabit one city, would exceed 59,000 persons ; 
and this number thus certainly would have reached 
within 160 years of the flood. 

" As to the third objection, it is not wonderful that 
idolatry should have sprung up during the lives of 
Noah, and iShem, when we consider the multitudes of 
mankind, and that after the dispersion they were 
widely scattered over the face of the earth. We know 
that the Israelites fell into idolatry even in the pre- 
sence of the holy mountain, during the life-time of 
Moses, and afterwards in the midst of the warning of 
the prophets. The influence of Arphaxad, and 
tSalah, and Heber in Chaldea, would not be greater 
than that of Moses and Elijah over the children of 
Israel. Besides, it is not affirmed in Scripture, that 
all the patriarchs between Arphaxad and Terah were 
holy men, and never deviated into idolatry. 

III. As to motives for the adulterations of the true 
numbers, — " Jackson allows, that though the reasons 
are plain which induced the Jews of the second cen- 
tury to corrupt the prophecies relating to Christ, their 
reason for shortening the patriarchal genealogies is 
not so plain. — On the other hand, the first translators 
of the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek, had an obvious 
motive for enlarging the Chronology. The Chal- 
deans and Egyptians (whose histories were about this 
time published by Berosus and Manetho) had claim 
to a remote antiquity. Hence the translator of the 
Pentateuch might be led to augment the amount o{ 



204 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



the generations by the centenary additions, and by 
the interpolation (as Hales himself allows that it is,) of 
the second Cainan, in order to carry back the epochs 
of the Creation and the Flood to a period more con- 
formable to the high pretensions of the Egyptians and 
Chaldeans." 

On the whole Mr. Clinton concludes, that the He- 
brew computation of the genealogies may be safely 
received. 

The following important observation may be here 
added. " They who with Clavier imagine themselves 
at liberty to enlarge the period between the flood 
and Abraham to an indefinite amount, mistake the 
question. The uncertainty is not an uncertainty for 
want of testimony, like that which occurs in the early 
Chronology of Greece, &c. ; where the times are un- 
certain because no evidence was preserved, and an 
approximation of the truth is to be made by a compa- 
rison of different particulars. The uncertainty here 
is of a peculiar character, belonging to this particular 
case. The evidence exists, but in a double form ; and 
we have to decide which is the authentic and genuine 
copy. But if the one is rejected, the other is esta- 
blished. Either the space before the Flood was 
1656 years, or 2256. Either the period from the 
flood was 1002 years to the call of Abraham, or 352. 
These periods could not be greater than the greatest 
of them, and it could not be less than the least." — 
The conclusion is, that the Hebrew is correct in 
both ; that from the creation to the flood 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



205 



was 1656 years, from the flood to the call 427 
years.* 

I. In the confidence, therefore, that we have now 
placed the authority of the Hebrew text as our guide 
in the matter of chronology beyond all reasonable 
doubt, we pass at once to the following table of the 
first period as above, from the creation and fall, to the 
flood. 



CREATION. A .M. 1. 


Yrs; 


Mo. 


D: 


A.M. 


References: 


1. Adam 


130 

105 

90 

70 

65 

162 

65 

187 

182 

600 

1656 








Gen. v.. 3. 


2. Ssth 

3. Enos 










• • 


, # 




■ " 6. 
1 " 9. 


4. Cainan 


' " 12. 


5. Mahalaleel 


' " 15. 


6. Jared 


1 " 18. 


7. Enoch 

8. Methuselah 


' " 21. 
' " 25. 


9. Lantech 


< " 28. 


10. Noah 


1 


9,7 


1656 


1 viii., 13, 14. 


Total, 



















II. From the deluge to the vocation of Abraham, 
the chronology is continuous through the line of the 



Patriarchs from Noah, thus 



* The preceding, from page 195 is taken from a brief outline of 
Clinton's Fasti Hellenici, in his ^"Appendix on the early Scrip- 
ture Chronology," by an able correspondent of the Investigator 
VoLiv., pp. 334— 339. 



18 



206 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



Yrs. 



Mo. 



D. 



A. M- 



References. 



11. Shem 

12. Arphaxad 

13. Salah 

14. Eber 

15. Peleg.... 

16. Reu 

17. Serug 

18. Nahor. . . . 

19. Terah. ... 



2 
35 
30 
34 
30 
32 
30 
29 
205 

427 



2083 



Gen.xi., 10. 
12. 
14. 
16. 
18. 
20. 
22. 
24. 
32. 



III. Of the period (viz., 430 years) from the call of 
Abraham to the Exodus, 1 several questions have arisen 
as to the time of its commencement. Is it to be dated 
from the supposed first call of Abraham, while yet in 
Ur of the Chaldees? or at the death of Terah? or 
from the time of Joseph's entrance into Egypt ? Res- 
pecting the last of these, so far as our recollection 
serves us there is not the least Scriptural foundation. 
Of the other two, the point to be determined is, whether 
there was an interval oi five years between the first 
and the second call. To our mind, there is no evi- 
dence of any such interval. There is positive scrip- 
tural evidence that Abraham was seventy-five years 
old when he left Haran, 2 at the death of his father, in 
his 205th year. 3 But this makes Terah at the birth 
of Abraham 130 years old ; whereas Gen. xi., 26, ex- 
pressly declares him to have been but 70 years of age 
at the birth of the eldest of his three sons, Abram, Nahor, 
and Haran. The objections, however, which these 



1. Exod. xii., 40, 41 ; Gal. iii., 17. 
3. Gen.xi. 32. 



2. Gen. xii. 4. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 207 

facts involve, are, that it makes Abram the youngest 
son of Terah, which seems to contradict Gen. xi. 26 ; 
and also gives Terah 60 years for the period of the birth 
of his three sons. But to these we reply, first,—- that 
there should be an average of 20 years between the 
birth of each son, by no means invalidates the history 
— and Second, that Abram was the youngest son of 
Terah, appears evident from Gen. xi. 29, which makes 
Haran the eldest son, his brother Nahor having mar- 
ried his daughter Milcah. Further — Abram married 
his half-sister, l and, for aught that appears to the con- 
trary, Terah might have lived a considerable period 
in an unmarried state. True, this would make Sarah 
older than Abram. But a comparison of Gen. xviii. 
11, with Chapters xi., 30, xxi., 9, 10, and Gal. iv., 21 
— 31, seems more than to intimate that God had a spe- 
cial design in all this arrangement. 

Now, to the point at issue. The family of Terah 
as thus constituted, (with the exception of Haran, 
who died in Ur of the Chaldees, 2 ) left their native 
country for Canaan ; 3 which removal was induced by 
the appearance of God to Abram. " Now the Lord 
had said unto Abraham, get thee out of thy country," 4 
&c. The family, however, advanced no farther 
towards Canaan than Haran, or Charran, which is in 
the North-East part of Mesopotamia. How long an 
interval elapsed between God's command to Abraham 
and the family removal to Haran, does not appear ; 

1. Gen. xx., II, 12. 0. Gen, xi., 98. 

3. Gen. xi. 3 31. 1 Gen. xii., 1. 



208 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



but St. Stephen explicitly states, that it was " before 
he dwelt in Charran." l It would seem therefore 
that the plain face of the sacred narrative would 
justify the conjecture, that the infirmities of age, &c, 
induced Terah to stop at Haran, where he died. And 
though " the country is barren and uninviting," 2 parts 
of the family still remained there. 3 This however 
was incompatible with the divine purpose in reference 
to Abram. And, immediately upon Terah's death, 
Abram is reminded of what God " had said unto 
him," in virtue of which, and not, as I understand it, 
of any new call as distinct from the first, he " departed 
as the Lord had spoken unto him ; and Lot went 
with him : And Abram was seventy and five years 
old when he departed out of Haran." 4 If to this it be 
objected, that "the souls" spoken of as being "gotten 5 ' 
by Abram &c, in Haran, implies their residence at 
that place for a number of years, it will remain for the 
objector to prove that the phrase gotten, means be- 
gotten, or born. 5 These premises admitted, the con- 
clusion is, that the appearance of God to Abram in 
Ur of the Chaldees, whether at his 70th or 75th year, 
(we believe it to have been in the latter) his leaving 
Haran to penetrate into the more southerly parts of 
Canaan in obedience to the divine command, and the 
removal of his fathers family to Haran, together with 
Terah's death, "all occurred within Abram's 75th year. 



1. Acts vii., 2. 2. Alexander's Geog. of the Bible. 

3. Gen. xxvii., 43 ; xxix., 4, 5. 4. Gen. xii., 4. 

5. See Gen. xii., 5, with which compare Chap, xi., 31 ; xiv., 14. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 209 

It remains now to reconcile St. Stephen's statement 
of the term of bondage of the Israelites, which he 
fixes at 400 years, 1 with the statement of Exodus xii. 
40, 41, which makes it 430 years : In order to which, 
it is only necessary to distinguish between their af- 
fliction and their bondage. The former includes the 
latter, but is not confined to it. " Their actual bon- 
dage in Egypt was of comparatively short duration : 
but the affliction of the seed of Abraham commenced 
in his son Isaac. The interval between Isaac's birth 
and the Exodus, was 405 years ; and if we suppose 
the predicted affliction of the seed to commence in 
Isaac's fifth year, when he would be beginning to feel 
the effects oflshmael's mockery, 2 we then have the 
affliction enduring 400 years, and including in the 
last period of it, the bondage." What is said (Exod. 
xii., 40, 41) "about the sojourning of the people for 
430 years before the Exodus, presents no difficulty in 
the way of this solution, but rather confirms it ; be- 
cause it is evident from Gal. iii., 17, that this period : ' 
of430yearsis to be reckoned from "Abraham's leaving 
Haran in Mesopotamia to go to Canaan," which was 
done 25 years before the birth of Isaac. " This cor- 
responds exactly; and so the whole period of sojourn 
included the other two, which are more accurately 
characterized as first a period of affliction, and then a 
period of actual slavery." 3 Finally, with this agrees, 
according to Clarke, the Samaritan Pentateuch, and 



1. Acts vii., 6. Gen. xv., 13. 0. Gen. x\i.. <>. 10, 

3. Mc. Neil's Pros, of the Jews, p. 34, 

18* 



210 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Septuagint, in both of which Exodus xii., 40, reads as 
follows : — " Now the sojourning of the children of 
Israel and their fathers which they sojourned in the 
land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt, was 
430 years ; " i. e., from Abram's leaving Haran at 
the death of Terah to the Exodus. 

IV. The Fourth period extends from the Ex- 
odus to the end of the reign of Saul. It is in this 
period that the two breaks already adverted to, oc- 
cur ; the first between the death of Moses and the 
time of the Judges ; the second between Eli and 
Saul. 

Then also, in addition to the above, there is a 
very remarkable discrepancy between the chronology 
relating to this period as given in 1 Kings vi., 1, 
and Acts xiii., 17 — 22, as will appear from what 
follows : — ■ 

1. Both passages commence with the Exode. 

2. 1 Kings vi., I, carries the events narrated beyond 
Acts xiii., 17 — 22. But, 

3. The dates of Acts xiii., 17—22, exceed the 
whole number of years of 1 Kings vi., 1, by at least 
100 years. Hence, 

4. If the dates given in the other parts of the sacred 
narrative decide in favor of Acts xiii., 17 — 22, the 
chronology of 1 Kings vi., 1, must be an error. 

To place this matter, therefore, in the clearest pos- 
sible light, we remark, 

1. That 1 Kings vi., 1, gives an interval of only 
480 years between the Exode and the commencement 
of the building of the Temple by Solomon. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 21 1 

2. But the specified dates given in Acts xiii., 17 
— 22, and which end with the death of Saul, amount 
to 530 years, which alone makes an excess over 1 
Kings vi., 1 of 50 years. Then, in addition, there are 
the two breaks above named, to which St. Paul affixes 
no specific dates. 

Now, of these two breaks, the first, between the 
death of Moses and the time of the Judges, embraces 
the following events, as recorded in the Book of 
Judges, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chapters, to the 8th verse 
inclusive, viz. : The dividing of the conquered land by 
lot ; the death of all the Judges who overlived Joshua ; 
the gathering of that generation to their fathers, and 
the rising up of another that knew net the Lord ; 
their conquering the remnant of the nations left by 
Joshua, and their final servitude under Cushan Rish- 
athaim, consequent upon their intermarriages with 
the idolatrous Canaanites. The second break relates 
to the period of Samuel's administration, between Eli 
and Saul. 

The chronology of these two breaks, therefore, being 
left to conjecture, we offer the following as tl at which 
to us reduces it to the greatest degree of certainty of 
which it is susceptible, and, 

I. Of the period between the death of Moses and the 
first servitude, we offer the following : Caleb, when 
sent out as a spy with Joshua, was 40 years old, 1 to 
which add 39 years wanderings in the wilderness, 
Moses having sent him out on the second year of his 

1. Joshua xiw, 7. 



212 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

mission, and which together make 79 years. Now, 
supposing Joshua to be about the same age with Caleb, 
at his death he was 110 years old. 1 From this deduct 
the above 79 years, and it gives to Joshua between the 
death of Moses and his own death, 31 years. Then, 
to the interregnum which followed, to the time of 
their first servitude, including the period of the Judges 
which overlived Joshua, and the time of anarchy, we 
add 19 years — Josephus (no mean authority) assigns 
to this period 18 years. These together supply the 
first break with 50 years. 

II. Of the other, between Eli and Saul, and which 
relates to the period of Samuel? s administration, we 
offer the following : Samuel's official character was 
threefold. He acted as Priest* as Prophet* and as 
Judge* Now, that Samuel was Judge prior to the 
anointing of Saul as the first king of Israel, is evident 
from 1 Sam. vii., 6, compared with chapters viii. — 
x., 1. Most chronologists assign to Samuel 21 years. 
But if we allow the full force of this passage, " and 
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life ; 5 i. e., 
from the commencement of his judicial authority to 
his death, which the Hebrew chronology places be- 
tween 1099 and 1059 B. C., 6 it makes the whole num- 



1. Josh, xxiv., 29. 

2. 1 Sam. ii., 11, 18, 19; iii., 1. 

3. 1 Sam. iii., 18—14; 15 — 20. 

4. 1 Sam. vii., 6 — 15. 

5. 1 Sam. vii., 15. 

6. The "dates B, C. of these events in our table will vary from 
the above. But as here introduced, they serve to shew that if any 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 213 

ber of years of his administration as judge to be 40 
years, which seems also to accord with the account 
given of him, 1 Sam. viii., 1. The 40 years assigned 
to Saul however, Acts xiii., 21, is to commence from 
Samuel's 24th year, l at which point his separate ad- 
ministration ceased. 

Before we proceed, however, to a recapitulation of 
the dates which belong to the period (the ivth) now 
under consideration, we claim the indulgence of a 
brief examination of that part of it of which Mr. Miller 
principally avails himself, in fixing upon A. D. 1843, 
as the termination of the 6000th year of the world. 
In his chronological table from Adam to Christ, as 
published in the " Signs of the Times 1 ' 2 of Septem- 
ber 1, 1840 ; and again, with some slight alterations, 
in the " Report of the General Conference," &c, pub- 
lished in Boston, 1841, 3 and of which he says, " if 
this chronology is not correct, I despair of getting 
from the Bible and History a true account of the age 
of the world ;" 4 — he inserts for the 6th servitude un- 
der the Philistines, 40 years — to Samson 20 years, 
and to Eli 40 years, making a total of 100 years. If 
these dates in his table, therefore, can be shown as 



two points of the chronology of our common English version agree 
in one instance, they may in another. There is such an agreement 
of the Hebrew Chronology of the birth and death of Moses, with 
his age, as given Deut. xxxiv., 7. 

1. Mr. Miller, in his revised Chronological Table, allows to 

Samuel's administration as Judge, 94 years. Report, 1841 

2. Page 80. 3. Page 94. 4. Report, p. 93. Xot>\ 



214 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



obviously incorrect, we may spare ourselves the time 
and labor to point out its other inaccuracies. 

In opposition to the above, then, we assume that the 
Scriptures assign but 40 years to this part of the chro- 
nology. Our position is as follows : — The 40 years 
of the 6th servitude under the Philistines, mentioned 
Judges xiii., 1, includes the whole time of Eli, he 
having succeeded Abdon, whose death is recorded, 
Judges, chap, xii., 14 ; and the last 20 years of Eli 
includes the 20 years assigned to Samson. 

Proof. In 1 Sam. iv., 18, Eli, at his death is said 
to have judged Israel 40 years. The number of years, 
(viz. 1160 and 1120 B. C.) between the death of Ab- 
don, Judges xii., 14, and that of Eli, 1 Sam. iv., 18, 
is just 40 years. Eli, therefore, was his immediate 
successor, as one of the Judges of Israel. The sacred 
narrative furnishes no other mode than this of deter- 
mining the commencement of Eli's administration as 
Judge. Now, it is evident that the narrative which 
immediately follows the death of Abdon, gives an ac- 
count of the birth of Samson, Judges xiii. ; — not of 
the commencement of his judicial administration. 
At the time of Samson's marriage " the Philistines 
had dominion over Israel." Judges xiv., 4. Samson 
was then a young man, v. 10 ; say about 20 years of 
age. But it was at this very time, when his career 
as defender and deliverer of Israel commenced. " The 
spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the 
camp of Dan, between Zora and Astaol ;" and when 
he came to his father and mother, asking them to 
procure as his wife the woman of Timnath, they knew 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 215 

not that it was of the Lord" and " that he sought an 
occasion against the Philistines. Judges xiii., 25 ; 
xiv. 1 — 4. 

If to this it be objected that, contrary to all precedent, 
it places two jduges over Israel at the same time, viz., 
Eli and Samson, we reply, that this circumstance can 
by no means invalidate a plain historical fact. We re- 
mark, then, that the supineness and want of decision 
betrayed by Eli in his complex official capacities, (for 
he was both Judge and High Priest) l seemed to 
call for some additional provision for the defence of the 
enslaved and suffering Israelites, while under servi- 
tude to the Philistines, with which Eli's administra- 
tion was cotemporaneous. This provision was made 
by raising up Samson, as the defender and deliverer 
of Israel during the last 20 years of Eli ; and if Scrip- 
ture has any authority with Mr. Miller, I would res- 
pectfully refer to Judges xv., 20, which expressly says 
that Samson judged Israel inthe days of thePhilistines 
20 years." Nor will this be thought singular, when, 
in addition to the official inefficiency of Eli, you add 
the consequent misrule of his two sons, Hophni and 
Phinehas. 

The conclusion therefore is, that the interval be- 
tween the death of Abdon and that of Eli, includes 
All that is narrated of the career of Samson, of 
Hophni and Phinehas, &c. In other words, the 40 
years oi Eli, and the 20 years of Samson are included 
in the 40 years of the sixth servitude. Here, 

1. Compare 1 Sam. ii., 27, 98, with chap. ii.. 93—25 ; and iii., 
1 — 14. See also Townsend's Bible, Eng, Ed. vol.. I. p. 608, 



216 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 



then, is a clear loss to Mr. Miller's chronology of 60 
years ! 

The following is our tabular view of the Illrd Pe- 
riod, from the death of Terah and call of Abraham to 
the Exodus ; and of the IVth Period, as above, from 
the Exodus to the end of the reign of Saul. 



Affliction and Bondage 
Wanderings 

Joshua after Moses 

Interregnum 

First Servitude 

Time of the Judges. 

1. Othniel 

Second Servitude 

2. Ehud 

Third Servitude 

3. Deborah and Barak. 
Fourth Servitude .... 

4. Gideon 

5. Abimelech 

6. Tola 

7. Jair 

Fifth Servitude , 

8. Jephthah 

9. Ibzan , 

10. Elon 

11. Abdon 

Sixth Servitude, ) 

including the time of > , 
Eli and Samson. ) 

12. Samuel 

Saul. First King of 

Israel 

■ Total... 



Yrs. 

430* 
40 
31 
19 

8 



40 
18 
80 
20 
40 

7 
40 

3 
23 
22 
18 

6 

7 
10 

8 

40 
24 
40 



974 



Mo. 



D. A.M. 



References. 



Exod. xii., 40, 41. 
Josh, v., 6. 
By Conjecture. 
By Conjecture. 
See also Joseph 
Ant. Book 5. 



11. 
14. 
30. 

3. 

31. 
1. 



iv. 
v. 
vi. 



— viii. 28. 
22. 

2. 

3. 

8. 

7. 

9. 
11. 
14. 



IX. 

x. 



Xll. 
tt 



xiii. 1. 
By Conjecture. 
Acts xiii., 21. 



Now, it is a little singular, that, in the above table, 
the dates from the Exodus to " the time of Samuel 
inclusive, amounts to precisely the period of the 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 217 

480 years as given in 1 Kings vi., 1. If to this we 
add the dates of St. Paul, Acts xiii., 17 — 22, for Sam- 
uel 24 years, and Saul 40 years ; and also the dates 
beyond Saul as included in 1 Kings vi., 1, giving to 
David 40 years and to Solomon 3 years, the period of 
his commencing the erection of the Temple ; and, 
compared with the commonly received Chronology, 
we discover a loss to the true Scripture Chronology r , 
of more than 100 years ! I will only add, that there 
are two ways in which this discrepancy may be ac- 
counted for. The one is, by attributing it to the care- 
lessness of some early copyist, in mistaking the 
Hebrew numeral i 4, for n 5, (which, from the evi- 
dent similarity in the main construction of each might 
easily be done,) or, to design. 

Then again. Including the 24 years of Samuel in 
the above dates from the time of the division of the 
lands under Joshua in his 6th year, and it gives you 
the 450 years of Acts xiii., 20. That date cannot, by 
any possible construction, be applied exclusively to 
the period of the Judges ; that period, from Othuiel 
to Samuel amounting to no more than 382 years. 

The following comprises our understanding of the 
import of the Apostle. " After " the division of the 
land by lot in the 6th year of Joshua, God " gave unto 
them judges, about the space of four hundred and 
fifty years, 1 - until after Samuel's administration, when 
they desired a king, <fcc. The 450 years attributed to 
the period of the Judges being qualified by the phrase 
"about" leaves open the door for the introduction of 

19 



218 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 



the conjectural dates, without which, it is impossible 
to harmonize St. Paul with the old Testament. 

V. We now proceed to the Fifth Period, which ex- 
tends from the death of Saul, to the Babylonish Cap- 
tivity. Here the evidence before us is clear and un- 
obstructed. 



Time of the Kings. 



%■■ 



40 



2. David.. .. 

3. Solomon . 
Temple begun in 

his 4th year 3 
Reigned after 37 

4. Rehoboam... 

5. Abijah 

6. Asa 

7. Jehoshaphat 

8. Jehoram . . . 

9. Ahaziah . . . 

10. Athaliah. (His mo- 

ther.) 

11. Joash 

12. Amaziah.. 

13. Azariah . . 

14. Jotham . . . 

15. Ahaz 

16. Hezekiah 

17. Manasseh 

18. Amon 

19. Josiah 

20. Jehoahaz.. 

21. Jehoiakim 

22. Jehoiachin 

23. Zedekiah. 



Total 



Yrs. Mo 



40 

40 

17 

3 

41 

25 

8 

1 

6 
40 
29 
52 
16 
16 
29 
55 

2 

31 
11 
11 



473 



D. c A. M. 



References. 



10 



2 Sam. v., 4, 5. 
1 Kings v., 1, and 

" xi., 42. 
Compared. 

1 Kings xiv., 21. 

" xv. ; 2. 
" — 10. 
" xxii., 42. 

2 Kings viii., 17. 
— 26. 



xi., 3. 

xii., I. 
xiv., 2. 

xv.. 2. 

— 33. 
xvi., 2. 
xviii., 2. 
xxi., 1 



'l& 



xxii., 1. 
,31. 



" xxiii, 

(C 



36. 

" xxiv., 8. 
" .. 18. 



VI. The Sixth Period embraces the duration of the 
Babylonish Captivity. To this, in the following ta- 
bular view, we add, 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C, 



219 



VII. The Seventh Period, including the interval 
between the end of the Babylonish Captivity, and the 
commencement of Daniel's 70 prophetic weeks. 



Babylonish Captivity. 



Restoration of the JEWS 
under the PERSIAN 
kings, from the END of 
the Captivity in the First 
year of Cyrus, to the 
Commission of Ezra as 
Governor of Judea, in 
the Seventh year of 
Artax-Longimanus. 



1. Cyrus. 



2. Ahasuerus. (Cam-^\ 

byses.) 

3. Artaxerxes. (Ma- y 

gian, Smerdis. \ 
Oropastes.) J 

4. Darius. (Hystaspes.) 



5. Xerxes , 

6. Artax-Longimanus . 



Total . . 



Yrs. 



70 



36 

21 

7 



149 



Mo. 



A.M. 



Referencea. 



Jer. xxv., 11; 
Ezek. xxiv. 2; 
Zech. vii., 5. 
Book of Lamen, 



Ezr. i., ii., iii. See also 
Isa. xliv., 28; & xlv., 
1, 13. Prid. Con. L, 
277. 

Ezr. iv., 6. Prid. i., 324, 
381, 382, 433.. 436. 
Ezr. iv., 7. Prid. i., 
330, 333 . . 335. 

Ezr. iv., 5. Prid. L, 335. 

381, 382. 
Prid. i., 408. 
Neh. v., 14. Prid. i., 

433 . . 436. 



Of the 70 years captivity we remark, that while if 
is inserted in the above tabular view as following the 
11th year of Zedekiah, it is to be understood as refer- 
ring to the thorough restoration of the Jewish State 
which followed the decree of Darius, {Hystaspes) in 
his fourth year, confirming the previous decree of 
Cyrus; and which, down to the time of the utter 
destruction of the city by the Chaldeans, is just 



220 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

70 years. " The time falling so exactly, and the pro- 
phet Zechariah confirming it by expressing, under the 
fourth year of Darius, that the mourning and fasting 
of the Jews for the destruction of Jerusalem, and the 
utter driving them out of the land, on the death of 
Gedaliah, was then just 70 years, 1 " some have been 
led to place the beginning of the Captivity spoken of 
by Jeremiah, at the destruction of Jerusalem ; and the 
end of them, at the publication of this decree of Da- 
rius. "But this matter will admit of a very easy 
reconciliation ; for both computations may well stand 
together ; for though the Babylonish captivity did be- 
gin from the 4th year of Jehoiakim, when u Nebu- 
chadnezzar first subjugated the land, and carried away 
to Babylon the first captives ; yet it was not completed 
till he had absolutely destroyed it in the 11th year of 
Zedekiah, which was just 18 years after. And so 
likewise though the deliverance from this captivity, 
and the restoration of the Jewish state thereon, was 
begun at the decree of Cyrus, in the first year of his 
reign ; yet it was not completed till thai decree was 
put in full vigor of execution, by the decree which 
Darius granted in the 4th year of his reign for the 
confirmation of it, which was also just 18 years after. 
— And therefore if we reckon from the beginning of 
the captivity to the beginning of the restoration, vz 
must reckon from the 4th year of Jehoiakim to the 1st. 
year of Cyrus, which was just 70 years ; and if we 
reckon (as in the above table) from the completion of 

1. Zech. vii.j 5. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 221 

the captivity to the completion of the restora- 
tion, we must reckon from the 11th year of Ze- 
dekiah to the 4th year of Darius, which was also just 
70 years " l 

Let us now collect together the sum total of years 
of each of the preceding tables— 



1. From the Creation to the Flood 

2. From the Flood to the death of Terah, and Abra- 

ham's departure from Haran 

3. Affliction and Bondage 

4. From the Exodus to the end of the reign of Saul. 

5. From the death of Saul, to the Babylonish cap- 

tivity 

6. Babylonish Captivity 

7. Interval between the end of the Babylonish Cap- 

tivity, and the commencement of Daniel's 70 
prophetic weeks 



Total 



Yrs 



1656 

427 
430 
544 

473 
70 



79 
3679 



A.M. 



1656 

2083 
2513 
3057 

3530 
3600 



3679 



At this point, we enter upon the second division of 
our Golden Chain of measurement, in determining the 
age of the world, viz, — ■ 

PROPHETIC CHRONOLOGY. 

It will be seen that our deductions, as founded upon 
Sacred Historic chronology, furnish an aggregate 
number of 3679 years, from the Creation, down to the 
commencement of the 70 prophetic weeks of Daniel. 
Of prophetic chronology, the numbers upon which we 
are dependent to complete the 6000th year, as the pe- 
riod within which all God's purposes in relation to 
this world will be accomplished, are the following — 



1. Prid. Con. Vol. ii., p. 146. Also Hater's hon. on the Froph. 
p. 16, 17. 

19* 



222 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



Daniel's 70 weeks, or 490 years from which deduct > iW 

A. D. 37, $ ^ 6 

Commencement of 1260 days, in A. D 533 

The 1260 days of Daniel and St. John 1260 

Excess of 1290 days of Dan. xii., over 1260 30 

Excess of 1335 of Dan. xii., over 1290 45 

Total. 2321 
Add the historical years as above 3679 

6000 

From 2321 

Deduct 453 

And it gives you 1868 

as the period when, in the time of the 7th angel, Rev. 
xvi. 17, who pours out the last vial of judgement into 
the air, " a great voice out of the temple of Heaven, 
from the throne," will be heard, "saying, IT IS 
DONE I" 

From 1868 

Deduct 1842 

Which leaves 26 

In 26 short years, therefore, if the above prophetic 
numbers can be demonstrated to have their support in 
Scripture, that blessed period, the consummation of 
the devout believer's faith and hope will have arrived, 
when he who is " the Alpha and Omega," from his 
high and holy throne will proclaim, " behold, i make 

ALL THINGS NEW." l 

But, these prophetic numbers, if viewed in their re- 
lation to the events with which they stand connected, 
past , present, and future, all conspire to admonish us 
"upon whom the ends of the world are come," 2 that 

— *— — ~ . 

1. Rev. xxi. 5. 2. 1 Cor. x. 11. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 223 

THE GREAT DAY OF CRISIS, both to the 
Church and to the world, is " just at hand," No — we 
are not to calculate upon 26 years additional probation, 
under the present existing economy of the Gospel ! 
Look to 1847 ! May Heaven prepare us all to meet 
undismayed, the terrors^ and to share triumphantly, in 
the glories of " that day !" l 

Perhaps, however, some one will ask, if, upon a 
peradventure, an error in the department of historic 
chronology as above, should have escaped observation^ 
what then becomes of all these deductions?' To this 
I reply, that, confident as I feel in the correctness of 
the historico-chronological depart nent of my work, as 
herein exhibited ; if the great Head of the Church has 
sent forth the Spirit of his grace, to reveal to the faith- 
ful a knowledge of Prophetical numbers, 2 and these 
prophetical numbers, as interpreted in the sequel are 
in accordance with " Holy Scripture ;" then, I ask but 
a single admission, in order to demonstrate that, inde- 
pendently of immutable accuracy in giving the length 
of each link in the first half of our golden chain ; the 
crisis, in A. D., 1847, and the "finishing of the mys- 
tery of God," 3 in A. D., 1868, is established upon 
grounds of equal certainty. Prophecy points out to 
us the things that shall be hereafter, 4 even to the 
last act of the Almighty's government and providence 
over the world. 5 The admission that I ask. is. that 
the present, is the year of our Lord, 1842, from the 

1. Tkess. v. 1 — 1; 2 Pet. iii. 10; Rev. iii., 3; xvi., 15. 

2. See p. p. 142—151, 3. Rev. x.. 7. 

4. Rev. i., 19. 5. [s*. xxviii., '21, 23, 



224 AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 

Nativity. The following passage, the inaccuracies 
of Scriptural computations of Historical Chronology 
to the contrary notwithstanding, will fully explain our 
meaning. O that it was inscribed upon our hearts as 
with the finger of God, and with the pen of a diamond 
forever ! " We have also a more sure word of 
prophecy, whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, 
as unto a light that shineth in a dark place." l 

On entering upon the department of prophetic chro- 
nology, our first business will be to determine upon 
the mode of measuring time prophetically. The 
question here presenting itself is, whether prophetic 
numbers are to be understood literally, i. e., a day 
for a day — or as expressing time indefinitely — or 
(which is the system we shall adopt) whether these 
numbers are not to be understood mystically, i. e., 
days, weeks, months, &c, as denoting days, weeks, 
and months of years. 

Nor let any suppose that " the ancient of days, ° 2 
though his throne is in the heavens, and eternity his 
mantle, cannot condescend to stoop to the measures of 
time. Indeed, so far from this, " as if the Lord in- 
tended to prove his jealousy for his own predictions, 
he commands the prophet Ezekiel to record with the 
utmost fidelity the very day of the commencement of 
the 70 years captivity, as predicted by Jeremiah (xxv. 
11.) " Son of man, write thee the name of the day, 
even of this same day ; the king of Babylon set him- 
self against Jerusalem this same day? (ch. xxiv., 2.) 

1. 2 Pet., i. 19. 2. Dan. vii., 9, 12, 22, 



AGE OF THE WORLD; &C. 225 

Now, see the wisdom of God in all this — at the 
expiration of the 70 years captivity as predicted by Je- 
remiah, and recorded by Ezekiel, Daniel, who " un- 
derstood by books the number of the years whereof 
the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, 
that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations 
of Jerusalem, set his face unto the Lord his God." 
(Dan. ix., 12.) 

Equally defined are other, yea, and the major part 
of all the predictions of God's word. 

The prophecy of the deluge, as given to Noah (Gen. 
vi., 3.) was limited to 120 years. 

The predicted affliction of the children of Israel was 
included within a specific number, viz., 430 years. 1 

Still, of those predictions which have been fulfilled, 
there are several, the time of the fulfillment of which 
was concealed. 

Of these, however, there is not one having the least 
connexion with those upon which we rely, in conduct- 
ing our present inquiries. 

With these latter predictions, however, a change 
now takes place in the character of the prophetic 
numbers. The successive evolutions of prophetic 
time are hidden under certain mystic forms. These, 
the Prophet Daniel tells us, " none of the wicked shall 
understand; but the wise shall understand." 
(ch. xii., 10.) 



1. Gen. xv., 12 — 14. Acts vii., f>, 7. Exod, xii.. 10 — 10. Gal. 
iii., 17. 



226 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 



Of this class of prophetic dates, there are in Daniel's 
prophecy the following : — 

1. " Seven times? Dan iv., 16. 

2. " Time, times, and dividing of time? Dan. 
vii., 25; xii., 7. 

3. " Two thousand three hundred days? Dan. 
viii., 14 — 26. 

4. " Seventy weeks? Dan. ix., 24. 

5. " A thousand, two hundred and ninety days? 
Dan. xii., 11, and, 

6. " The thousand, three hundred, and jive and 
thirty days? (Dan. v., 12.) 

In the Book of Revelation, also, are the following, 
viz. : — 

7. " An hour, a day, a month, and a year? Rev. 
ix., 15. 

8. " A thousand, two hundred and threescore days? 
Rev. xii., 6. 

9. " Forty and two months? (Rev. xi. 2 ; xiii. 5.) 

10. Six hundred and sixty-six? (Rev. xiii., 18.) 
And, in Ezekiel are the following : 

11. " Three hundred and ninety days? Ezek. iv., 
5 ; and " Forty days" verse 6. 

Now, that the terms as used in these passages are 
mystical numbers, and are designed to be understood 
of a year for a day, &;c, will, we think, appear con- 
clusive from the following : — 

1. " The spies searched the land forty days in un- 
belief, and a penalty of 40 years wandering in the 
wilderness was inflicted, " a year for a day? (Num. 
xiv., 34.) Ezekiel was ordered to lie on his side 390 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 227 

days to bear the 390 years iniquity of Israel, and 40 
days for the 40 years iniquity of Judah, " each day 
for a year? Ezek. iv., 5, 6. 

But, should it still be objected, that these two in- 
stances of the use of the term day, to express a 
year, will not justify the application of the same 
sense to all the passages above named, we reply, 

2. That these passages contain internal evidence 
that they are to be thus understood. Instance the fol- 
lowing, as an illustration. " It is expressly declared 
that the seventy weeks of Dan. ix., 24, begins with 
the commandment to re-build the temple and city of 
Jerusalem ; and that the building of them occupied the 
first seven weeks? Who now will pretend that this 
work was accomplished in 49 days ? The Evangel- 
ist St. John asserts, " Forty and six years was this 
temple in building," 1 the three remaining years, as 
history asserts, being consumed in preparations for the 
work, under the ministrations of Haggai. We shall 
not at present enlarge on this point, as we shall have 
occasion again to bring it to your notice. Our imme- 
diate business now will be, to apply this mode of the 
prophetical interpretation of time, to their practical 
uses, and, 

1. If we call the prophetic number of" seven times,' 7 
(Dan. iv., 16,) which the prophet applies to the period 
of the dethronement and madness of the Chaldean 
king Nebuchadnezzar, seven years, and these years are 
interpreted as prophetical years, i. e., each year to eon- 



1. John ii., 30. 



228 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

tain 360 days of years, a day for a year ; the whole 
number will amount to 2520, the half of which is pre- 
cisely 1260. 

2. Understanding the terms "Time," to mean 1 
year of 360 days ; " Times," 2 years of 720 days ; 
and " the dividing of time" or " half a time" of 180 
days, as used by the Prophets Daniel and St John, 
"each day for a year;" 360, 720, and 180 added to- 
gether make just 1260 years. 

3. In the book of Revelation, (chap. xi. 2,) the court 
of the mystic temple and the holy city is given to be 
trodden under foot of the Gentiles, " forty and two 
months." By allowing 30 days to each month, and 
multiplying the 42 months by 30, we have just 1260 
days, " each day for a year." 

4: The 2300 days of Daniel viii. 14, are 2300 years, 
" each day for a year." 

5. The " seventy weeks" of Dan. ix. 24, are 490 
years. 

6. The 1290 days of Dan. xii. 11, are 1290 years. 

7. The 1335 days of Dan. xii. 12, are 1335 years. 

8. The 1260 days of Rev. xii. 6, and the " forty and 
two months," Rev. xi. 2, xiii. 5, are 1260 years. And, 

9. The 390 days, and the 40 days of Ezekiel iv. 5, 
are each to be taken for so many years. See Rev. ix. 
15. And, 

10. The mystical number of 666, (Rev. xiii. 18,) 
denotes so many years. 

Now, of these larger mystical numbers, four of 
of them, viz • — " the time, times, and dividing of 
time" of Daniel ; the " time, times, and half a time" of 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 229 

St. John; together with the "42 months" and 
" 1260 days" of the latter, all amount to the same num- 
ber of 1260 mystical years. Then there is the 2520 
years of Daniel iv. 16, which doubles the number of 
1260 years. Also, the 1290 years of Daniel xii. 11 ; 
the 1335 years of the same chapter, verse 12 ; and 
the 2300 years of Daniel viii. 14. 

Our next remark in reference to these larger num- 
bers is, that the first four, each counting 1260 pro- 
phetic years, as they relate to the same events^ (those 
of the Revelation synchronizing with those of 
Daniel,) furnishing thereby a history of the fortunes 
of the Church during her wilderness state, and compre- 
hending the period of the wearing out of the Saints 
of the most High, the witnesses prophesying in sack- 
cloth, the woman driven in the wilderness, and, the 
treading under foot of the holy City ; — so they all 
commence and terminate together. With these also, 
the "seven times" or 2520 years of Daniel iv., 16, 
have a common termination. Of two of the remain- 
ing three larger numbers, — viz., 1290, 1335, and 
2300; the first, or 1290 years of Daniel xii., 11, go 
beyond the above termination to the number of 30 
years ; and the second, or 1335 years, exceeds that 
again by an advance of 45 years. 

What remains for us now is, to select from among 
these larger prophetic numbers, one which will afford 
the least questionable evidence, as to its commence- 
ment and termination. And the one which wo shall 
select for this purpose is, the 2300 days of Dan- 
iel viii., 14. 

20 



230 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 



In the preceding Chapter, (vii.,) this prophet had a 
vision of four great beasts rising out of the sea ; the 
fourth having 10 horns^ among which arose a little 
horn ; — together with a view of the kingdom of 
Christ : which vision was interpreted by an Angel 
to denote the rise successively of four great Mon- 
archies, viz., the Babylonian, the Medo-Persian, the 
Grecian, and the Roman : but all of which were to 
be destroyed, to make way for the kingdom of God. 
The general tenor of the vision, however, bespake 
great trials to God's people. Daniel was troubled 
at the sight of " the little horn" of the 8th verse ; for 
" the same made war with the Saints, and prevailed 
against them." (v. 21.) 

This vision is followed by another in Chapter viii., 
of the Ram and the He-Goat, with which was also 
connected a " little horn," verses 9, 23 ; the resem- 
blance between which and the little horn of the pre- 
ceding vision as to the fierceness of his character 
filled the mind of the prophet with the most alarming 
apprehensions of the future, accompanied with a 
strong desire to understand it* " I Daniel," says he, 
" fainted and was sick certain days, and I was as- 
tonished at the vision ; but none understood it." 

In this state of mind, the prophet, understanding by 
the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, that the period of 
the 70 years captivity was about to expire, he ushers 
in the joyous event by offering prayer and confession 
in behalf of his peo >le. 

While engaged in this holy exercise, the angel Ga- 
briel, whom he had seen in the vision of Chap, viii 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 231 

came to him, and said, " O Daniel, I am now come 
forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the 
beginning of thy supplications the commandment 
came forth, for I am come to show thee ; for thou art 
greatly beloved, therefore understand the matter, and 
consider the vision." (v. 23.) 

•Now, what was the matter of particular Revelation 
by the Angel to Daniel ? Read the 13th verse of the 
viiith Chapter. Daniel " heard one saint w ask " an- 
other," " how long shall be the vision concerning the 
daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to 
give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden 
under foot?" The answer was, "unto 2300 days." 
(v. 14.) This therefore was the point which Daniel 
desired to understand. And this was the matter re- 
vealed to him by the angel; and, in the following 
manner, — 

Prom the 2300 days, Daniel is told to deduct 
70 weeks or 490 days, as a season of mercy to the 
Jews, upon their restoration, the details of which are 
given as follows : the 490 days are divided into 
3 parts, thus, — 1st. Seven weeks, or 49 days, during 
which the commandment was sent forth to restore 
and build Jerusalem. — 2nd. 62 weeks, or 434 days, 
within which period Messiah's first advent should 
occur. And 3rd, one week, or 7 days, in which. (1.) 
Messiah"should be cut oif — (2.) the covenant should be 
established with many for or during the whole week, 
— and (3.) in the midst of the week, sacrifice and 
oblation should cease: i. e., the sacrifices and obla- 



232 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

tions of the Mosaic Economy should terminate for- 
ever, by the one sacrifice of Christ " once for all." 

But, it is to be remembered, that the Revelation of 
the Angel Gabriel to Daniel did not close here. The 
events in detail of the 70 weeks having received their 
accomplishment, the prophet is informed that "the 
City and Sanctuary " should be " destroyed " by " the 
people of the prince that should come," "the end of 
which should be with a flood," and that unto the 
end of the war, " desolations " were " determined ; " 
and that " for the overspreading of abominations he 
should make it desolate, even until the consummation, 
and that determined, shall be poured upon the deso- 
lator." This period relates to the remainder of the 
2300 days. 

Of these days, however, as we have said, years 
must be understood ; for, as the city and temple of 
Jerusalem could not have been rebuilt in 47 literal 
days, so the 2300 days of Chap, viii., if taken literally, 
would not have afforded scope sufficient for the first 
events of that vision ; which, as they relate to the 
conflicts between the ram and the he-goat, occupy the 
reigns of the five kings of Persia down to Alexander 
king of Greece. But this is not all. The aggregate 
of the events in this vision reach down to the cleans- 
ing of the sanctuary ', (viii., 14,) with which the "in- 
dignation" is to u endP (verses 17, 19.) The city and 
temple of Jerusalem, however, are still in the hands 
of the spoiler. The Jews yet remain a people, 
"scattered and peeled." The "indignation" is not 



AGfi OF THE WORLD, &C. 233 

yet come to a " full end." The 2300 days have not 
yet expired. 

We come now to observe, that we are furnished 
with internal evidence that the 2300 days of Chap, 
viii., 14, and the 70 weeks of Chap, ix., 24, have a 
common commencement, as that the days and weeks 
mean days and weeks of years. For, as the events 
detailed in the 70 weeks, and which commenced with 
"the command to restore and to build Jerusalem" 
ch. ix., 25, were all to receive their fulfilment before 
the commencement of " the overspreading of abomina- 
tions," (v. 27,) which, like the desolating lava of a 
volcano, was to lay waste the fairest inheritance of 
God's ancient but rebellious people to the end of the 
2300 years ; and, as the 70 weeks or 490 years were 
to be deducted from the 2300 years, it follows, that 
both these prophetic numbers commence with the 
above command, to restore and build Jerusalem. 

As, however, there were no less than three of the 
above named commands, delivered by three different 
kings (viz., Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes Longima- 
nus, Ezra vi., 4,) at three different periods, it becomes a 
matter of vast importance in these premises to deter- 
mine from which one of the three the above 70 prophetic 
weeks, and 2300 days date their commencement.* 



* To correct a misapprehension as to the time whence we are to 
date the commencement of Daniel's 70 prophetic weeks, which is, 
that it immediately followed the decree issued by Cyrus, we rev. 
that, according to the learned Prideaux, under this decree "the 
State of Judah and Jerusalem" only "began to be restored? 1 And 
that it was not until the time of Ezra and Nehemiah, under the reign 
20* 



234 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Happily, even admitting that the chronology of that 
period, as some contend, is exceedingly confused, the 
fulfilment of the events as detailed in the 70 weeks, 
furnish what to our mind is irrefragible evidence, in 
determining the point of our inquiry. Irrefragible, 
we say, because that evidence is internal. 

First. Take the "one week," (v. 27,) which is the last 
of the 70, and during which the covenant was to be con- 
firmed with many. Now, it was " in the midst of 
this week " that Messiah was to be " cut offP Here 
we avail ourselves of the general acknowledgment 
that Christ commenced his ministry at 30 years of age, 1 
and that he exercised that ministry among the Jews 
only for precisely three years and a half, when he 
was crucified. It is also admitted that, commencing 
immediately after his death, the gospel was preached 
to the Jews only for three years and a half when, by 
the conversion of Cornelius, the partition wall between 
Jew and Gentile was broken down, and the Gospel 
was proclaimed equally to all. 

On the subject of the termination of the last week 
of the 70, placing it at the conversion of Cornelius, ra- 



ot Artaxerxes Longimanus, that the church and state of the Jews, by 
virtue of several decrees, were finally and thoroughly restored. 
With this representation agrees Ezra vi., 14, which plainly intimates 
that "the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jeru- 
salem" mentioned Dan. ix., 25, was reiterated through the reigns 
successively of Cyrus, Darius Hyslaspes, and Arlaxerxes Longimanus. 
As an aid to those who would wish to examine this subject mi- 
nutely, I would respectfully refer them to the references appended 
to the tabular view of the viith Period, pages 219 &240 of this work. 

1. Luke iii., 23. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 235 

ther than at the crucifixion, " in the midst " (middle 
or first half) of which, Messiah was to be " cut off," 
we find ourselves at issue with the learned Prideaux, 
who, in order to complete the establishment of the 
covenant with many for that week, brings in the minis- 
try of John the Baptist. But, we respectfully sub- 
mit, that while this places the cutting off of Messiah 
at the end of the week, which seems to contradict 
Dan, ix., 27; it assigns also to the nature and de- 
sign of John's ministry, as the forerunner of Christ, 
what does not belong to it. True, of that distinguished 
personage it is said, that " among them that are born 
of women, there hath not risen a greater " than he ; 
and Christ himself testified both to the spirituality and 
superiority of his ministry over all that had preceded 
it. He was " more than a prophet." Still, says the 
Savior, " He that is least in the kingdom of Hea- 
ven is greater than he." Now, if we understand of 
this the Christian dispensation, then John the Bap- 
tist was not " in " it — he did not belong to it. This 
was evidently the dispensation which he had set forth 
as " at hand" i. e. as not yet established. The old 
prophets had declared that Christ was coming : John 
showed that Christ ivas then among them. But it re- 
mained for the Apostles and their successors " to prove 
that this Christ has suffered, and entered into his 
glory, and that repentance and remission of sins are 
proclaimed through his blood/' John was beheaded, 
and his ministry sealed by his blood, ere the Messiah, 
whose way he proclaimed, had been betrayed, or tried, 
or condemned, or crucified, or was risen from the 



236 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

dead, or ascended to heaven ; and the apostolical col- 
lege was restricted to those who were eye and ear 
witnesses to all these things. 

The ministry of John the Baptist then, we say, was 
an intermediate ministry, between the abrogation of 
the Old and the introduction of the New Dispensation. 
Hence, having accomplished the object for which it 
was designed, it ceased to exist. This is evident from 
the following considerations : — 

I. John declares that he received his commission, 
not from Christ, but from the Father. Accordingly, 
we find him declaring, " He that sent me to baptize 
with water, the same said unto me, upon whom thou 
shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, 
the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost/' 
It was not until after this that John " saw and bear 
record, that he (as Christ) was the Son of God." Be- 
fore that period, John positively declared, " I knew 
him not ; but that he should be made manifest to Is- 
rael, therefore am I come, baptizing with water." It 
is evident, therefore, that his was not the Christian 
ministry, inasmuch as that ministry could only origi- 
nate in the express command and authority of Jesus 
Christ. 

II. The ministry of John the Baptist required, not 
faith in Christ, but repentance^ or reformation of life, 
suitable to the appearance of such an august personage: 
except, indeed, that the exercise of faith was obliga- 
tory, upon a conviction on their part, that the miracles 
performed by Christ during his ministry should suffi- 
ciently attest the divinity of his Messiahship. The 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 237 

burden of his cry was, " prepare ye the way of the 
Lord ; make his paths straight." Even himself de- 
ferred the exercise of implicit faith in him of whose 
works he had merely heard while in prison, till the 
miracles wrought by Christ in the presence of his 
disciples were communicated to him. His, therefore, 
could not have been the Christian ministry. 

III. Again, John's ministry was destitute of an 
external sign or seal, such as that which distinguishes 
the Christian dispensation. True, he baptized — but 
he did not baptize in the name of the Sacred Trin- 
ity : Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. His baptism 
and that of Christ, are represented in Scripture as se- 
parate and distinct, from the peculiar and transcend- 
ant effects of the latter. In support of this, we have 
his own declaration - — "I indeed," says he, " baptize 
you with water unto repentance; but there cometh 
one after me mightier than I ; he shall baptize you 
with the Holy Ghost and with fire." And to place the 
matter beyond the reach of all reasonable doubt, St. 
Paul, while at Ephesus, having ascertained there were 
some in that place who had been baptized, but who 
were ignorant of the accompanying influences of the 
Holy Ghost attendant upon all Christian converts, 
enquired, " Into what, then, were ye baptized i n 
And they replied, "Into John's baptism;" and after 
he had explained to them the nature of John's bap- 
tism, " they were baptized in the name of the Lord 
Jesus." 

The conclusion therefore is, that the ministry of 
John the Baptist, as it formed no part of the Christian 



238 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

dispensation, so it could not form a part of " the cove- 
nant confirmed with many " during the last of the 70 
weeks. 

In reference to the conversion of Cornelius, A. D. 
37, it is objected, that it does not agree with the mar- 
ginal chronology of that event in the New Testament. 
But to this we reply, that " though it may not be in 
our power to fix with precision the time of the con- 
version of Cornelius from the narrative of the Acts, 
yet it is easy to show that the date given to it in the 
margin of our Bibles, which is wholly arbitrary and 
unsupported, must be too late ; and that the year 37 
agrees much better with the facts that are known. 
The stoning of Stephen took place in 34, or early in 
35, and the conversion of Paul in the course of 35, to 
allow time for his two visits to Jerusalem mentioned 
in Galatians, with an interval of three years, and 
fourteen years between them : all occurring before the 
Council, in Acts xv. : the dissensions leading to which 
are referred to in Gal. ii. 11 ; and which Council could 
not be later than 52. Paul's first visit to Jerusalem 
was therefore in 38, and Peter was at Jerusalem, Gal. 
i. 18 ; and the persecution raised about Stephen had 
ceased. Acts ix. 31 ; xi. 19. But at this visit to Jeru- 
salem, Paul received his commission to go to the Gen- 
tiles, Acts xxii. 21 ; and began to dispute with the 
Grecians, Acts ix. 29, at the time when the disciples at 
Antioch did the same ; Acts xi. 20 : all which proves 
that the door had then been opened to the Gentiles by 
the conversion of Cornelius, as otherwise these proceed- 
ings could not have been sanctioned by the Church in 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 239 

sending forth Barnabas, Acts xi. 22, and their even 
sending Paul to Cesarea, the abode of Cornelius, Acts 
ix. 30, indicates the same thing ; and Barnabas sought 
his help as the chosen vessel to the Gentiles. Acts 
xi. 25, ix. 30. 

The conversion of Cornelius therefore must have 
taken place before 38. We should recollect that the 
transactions in the Acts are not given in the regular 
sequence of time, but one narrative is followed out to 
its close, and then another taken up, though it should 
require going back in order of time : as is evidently 
the case, chap. xi. 19, which returns to chap. viii. I. 1 

The conclusion therefore is, that, the 70 weeks or 
490 years of Daniel, ending at the conversion of Cor- 
nelius A. D. 37, together with the 2300 years, are to 
be dated from the command to restore and build 
Jerusalem as given to Ezra in the 7th year of Ar- 
taxerxes Longimanus. 

As collateral evidence, however, of the correctness 
of the above chronology of the commencement and 
termination of the 70 weeks of Daniel, we offer the 
following succession in the line of the High Priest- 
hood, &c, from the time of its investment of the 
civil power, upon the annexing of Judea to the Pre- 
fecture of Syria, as furnished by Prideaux, reaching 
to the Commencement of Christ's ministry, at 30 years 
of age. 



1. Pym. Appendix, p. 118. IUV 



240 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



Succession. 

High Priesthood. 

1 Joiada 

2 Johanan (Jonathan?) 

3 Jaddua 

4 Onias I 

5 Simon the Just 

6 Eleazar 

7 Manasseh 

8 Onias II 

9 Simon II 

10 C Onias III. i 

11 ) Jason > 

12 f Manelaus ) 

Princes of Judah. 

1 Judas Maccabeus, 

2 Jonathan, 

3 Simon, 

4 John Hyrcanus, 

Kings of Judah. 

1 Aristobulus I 

2 Alex. Jannseus, 

3 Alexandra, 

4 Aristobulus II 

5 Hyrcanus II 

6 Antigonus, 

7 f Herod the Great, .. 
I Christ born in his 33rd 

1 year, 

{^Herod's last year, .... 

8 Archaelaus, 

9 Augustus, 

10 Tiberius Ccesar, 

The " 62 weeks" of Dan. ix. 
26, 

Add the i c 7 weeks " Dan. 
ix. 25, 

Christ's ministry 3 yrs 6 mo. 

to conver. of Cor. 3 yrs 6 mo. 
which make the " one," or 
last week, Dan. ix. 27, . . 

Total 



Years 



37 
32 
20 
21 
9 

16 
26 
33 
22 

27 



References* 




490 



Neh. xii. 10. Prid. ii. 205 to 265 

« 590 
" 350 
" 395 
" 411 



do do 11. 

do do 11. 

Prid. vol. ii. 



do 
do 



do 
do 
do 
do 
do 



do 
do 
vol. iii. 
do 
do 



do do 



265 
290 
350 
395 
411 
113 
113 
154 
183 
215 
220 



" 225 
« 154 
" 183 
" 215 
" 220 
" 299 



do 
do 
do 
do 



do 
do 
do 
do 



252 " 335 
335 " 375 
375 " 395 

395 iv. 7 



do vol. iv. 
do do 



do 
do 
do 
do 



do 
do 
do 
do 

do ! do 
do f do 

do do 
do do 
do do 



EZRA 

NEHEMTAH 

First Commission 

Second do 

His Return to 
Persia 

Third Commis- 
sion, to the Close 
of the old Testa- 
ment Canon 



or, 



7 to 
13 " 
43 " 
62 " 
99 " 
193" 



13 
43 

62 

99 

193 

204 



204, 359 " 362 
368 " 370 

371 " 373 
373 " 379 
379 " 384 



49 



Ezr. vii. ll 
ii. 13, 15; 



Neh. ii. 1—6 



Do- 

190. 



11. 146 
" v. 14 ; 

Do. ii. 
" xiii. 6, 
ii. 
" _ 7 . 

Do, ii. 208 



. Prid. 
-151. 

ii. 6; 
151. 
7. Do. 

190. 

- 22. 
225. 



The 70 prophetic weeks of Daniel ix. 24 — 27 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 241 

We proceed, therefore, to observe, that the death of 
the Savior at the termination of his three and a half 
years' ministry on the one hand, and the conversion of 
Cornelius, after the three and a half years of the apos- 
tolic ministry among the Jews on the other, together 
make up the " one," or last of the 70 prophetic weeks ; 
and, added to the 30 years of Christ's age when he 
commenced his ministry, it demonstrates that the 70 
weeks closed A.D. 37. Now, carry back the 70 weeks, 
or 490 years from A. D. 37, to the era B. C, and you 
have the date of " the command to restore and to build 
Jerusalem," B. C. 453, or A. M. 3679. Then, the 
2300 years beginning at the same time, we ascertain 
their termination merely by deducting the years before 
the incarnation, which brings us down to A. D. 1847. 

But by what event is the close of 2300 years to be 
signalized ? Answer : The cleansing of the sanctuary, 
the accomplishment of the vision — the last end of the 
indignation. Dan. viii. 14 — 19; 23 — 27. In other 
words, that in A. D. 1847 the Lord Jehovah will ap- 
pear for the restoration and re-establishment in Pales- 
tine of the seed of Abraham, which he sware unto 
their fathers. 

Thus have we disposed of the first prophetical 
number of 453, from the commencement of Daniel's 
70 weeks to the nativity; or 490, by the addition 
thereto of A. D. 37, to the conversion of Cornelius, as 
having a common commencement with the 2300 
years, But, as we have seen, the year A. D. 1817. 
as the terminating point of the 2300 years, when 
added to A. M. 4132 from the creation, still leaves 
21 



242 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



21 years minus the 6000. There are however, three 
other numbers of the " more sure word of prophecy," 
which, as in the other instance, calculating the present 
as A. D. 1842, defines the period when "the mys- 
tery of God " in Providence and Redemption shall 
be " finished." These are, the three following 
numbers of Daniel xii., 7, 11, 12, viz., "a time, times 
and an half," or 1260 years, — 1290 years, — and 
1335 years. 

The point first to be determined in reference to 
these numbers is, whether they all commence at the 
same "period of time. In order to this, it will be ne- 
cessary to attach some definite idea to the descriptions 
given in the imagery of the prophet Daniel, of the two 
powers spoken of, — the first, Chap, vii., 8, 20, 24, 25, 
and the second, Chap, viii., 8, 9, 10, 11, first clause, 
verses 23 — 25. Chap, xi., 31 — 45, and Rev. xiii. 
The ivorks also to be accomplished by them respect- 
ively claims our special regard. Those of the first 
are described in Chap, vii., 21, 24, 25 ; and of the 
second, Chap, viii., 10—12, 24, 25, xi., 31 — 45, xii., 
7., and Rev. xiii. 

Now, the descriptions given by the prophet of the 
fierceness of character, and the persecuting, destructive 
career of these two powers, plainly indicate, as we 
have already said, a strong resemblance of the one to 
the other : and, united, they are designed to set forth 
the various persecuting powers which were to try the 
integrity of the Church, and to impress upon her the 
momentous truth, that u through much tribulation" 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 243 

the faithful within her militant pale, were to " enter 
into the kingdom of God." l Hence, 

1. Both these powers, in their persecuting career, 
direct their rage and malice against a common object* 
The " little horn " of Daniel vii., 8, " makes v:ar with 
the Saints, and prevails against them" and " wears 
them out:' (v. 20, 24.) And the "little horn" of 
Chap, viii., 9, " waxes great, even to the host of 
heaven, some of whom, with the stars, he casts to the 
ground, stamps upon, and destroys the mighty and 
the holy people" (v. 10, 24.) 

2. To the commencement and termination of both 
these powers is set a fixed and unalterable period. 
" The Saints of the most High " were given into the 
hand of the little horn of Daniel vii., 8, for " a time, 
times, and dividing of time." (v. 25.) And the little 
horn of Chap, viii., 9, "the king of fierce countenance, 
and understanding dark sentences," (v. 23,) was to 
prosper, and practice, and destroy the mighty people, 
for " a time, times, and an half" (Chap, xii., 7.) 

3. To both, (following a supposed long-established 
and generally received opinion on this subject,) as we 
shall now show, by a most extraordinary coincidence, 
is attached the same numerical mark, viz., 666. Rev. 
xiii., 18; xiv., 11. And, 

1. Of the Papal Beast. " It was customary with 
the Hebrews, Greeks, and Latins, (or Romans,) to use 
the letters of their Alphabet, to keep accounts by, in. 
stead of figures, which were of much later invention ; 
the same ancient practice, (in part,) prevails to this 
day, according to the old Roman custom ; as you may 



244 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

perceive on books, medals, monuments, or public 
buildings ; e. g., mdccxciii, is put for 1793, which in 
Hebrew characters is thus deciphered, imx 1793, and 
in Greek thus, «yh/ 1793. 

" Now, the Holy Spirit knowing, that notwithstand- 
ing men and nations would change their customs and 
manners, by being overturned, yet still their numeral 
letters would remain in use to the latest posterity. 
He therefore in infinite wisdom thought fit to describe 
the mark or name of the Popish Beast by numeral 
letters, that thereby it might unalterably remain, and 
so not only appear both a mark and a name, but a 
numeral name, or a name distinguished by the coin- 
cidence of its numbers, viz.. 666 ; which number, 
being pointed out by a most remarkable circumstance, 
(and of which we shall speak presently,) happening 
in the corresponding century, it could not be possibly 
mistaken, forgotten, altered, or lost. 

" On these accounts, (among others) no doubt the 
Holy Ghost gave the true sign or mark of the mon- 
ster, in cypherical characters, as constitute the number 
666, by a singular combination " of the three above 
named languages. "Nor is it a little astonishing" 
that this same number, " without a unit over or under 
should be found in the composition of the name, 
which has in it a combination of all those languages 
in which the (Pagan ?) beast wrote the inscription 
over our blessed Lord's head on the Cross, viz., " La- 
tin, Greek, and Hebrew." l 

Now, apply this number to the name and character 

1. Luke xxiii., 38. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 245 

of the Papal beast " as a man, a Roman, of the Latin 
nation ; " and it will be found exactly to make out the 
mark of his name, thus, trp9l2% Romanics, laxwo^ La~ 
tinus ; both which, when received as letters, may be 
called the mark of his name ; but when considered as 
numerals or figures, (of which both words entirely 
consist,) may then be called the number of his name, 
or the number of a man, being a Latin name derived 
from that of Romulus, a man, who founded Rome, 
Pagan, and so peculiar to a man, viz., the POPE, 
who is the foundation of Rome Papal" 

" Now observe. The Hebrew and Greek letters 
composing the words m'Wi, Romiith, —* ©"psta^j Ro~ 
manus, — or Xotrs^oc, 7 Latinus, each of them making 
in numerals exactly 666, — plainly point out not only 
his name and the number of his name, but also the 



mark of his name ; 


e. g., in 




400. 10. 10. 


40. 6. 200. 


Romiith. 666. 


So likewise 






ID 1 3 
300. 6. 50. 


3> & 1 

70. 40. 200. 


Romanics. 666 ; 



And also the Greek, 

X a t e v v o 5 

30. 1. 300. 5. 10. 50. 70. 200. Latinus. 666. 
in each of which the exact mark is contained." 

" It therefore evidently appears, that each name is 
both a mark and a number ; a mark, when viewed as 
made up of so many letters, therefore called the mark 
of his name ; a number, when viewed as made up oi 
so many numerals, thence called the number of his 
21* 



246 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

name. But when considered merely as a name de- 
rived from Romiith, a Roman, or Romulus, the 
founder of Rome, a name common among men, it 
may then properly be called the number of a man ; 
in scripture dialect, a u man of sin? of uncommon 
sin." * 

We proceed therefore in this last sense, first to 
apply this name to the " little horn " of Daniel vii., 8, 
as the 

FRONTLET OF THE (PAPAL) BEAST. 

It is to be observed as a singular circumstance, that 
the title, vicarivs filii dei, (Vicar of the Son of 
God.) which the Popes of Rome have assumed to 
themselves, and caused to be inscribed over the door 
of the Vatican, exactly makes the number of 666 
when deciphered according to the numeral significa- 
tion of its constituent letters, thus, 



* I cannot leave this subject without remarking, how singular it 
is, that Christ should have suffered under a conjunction of these 
three powers, viz. the Hebrews, Greeks, and Latins ; and that his 
inscription was also written in all their three languages ; farther, 
that Antichrist has also reigned in a conjunction of the same : a d 
as this mark is likewise contained in a combination of them, may it 
not therefore, according to the nature of correspondencies, be ex- 
pected, that the visible destruction of the man of sin, and the estab- 
lishment of Christ's reign, will be manifested in a conjunction o^ 
these three kindred, people, and tongues'? So that by the same 
instruments that Christ has been abased, and Antichrist exalt sd, 
Antich t shall be abased, and Christ alone exalted." 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &.C. 



247 



Vicar of the Son of God. 

V I C A R I V S F I L I I D E I. added 
5. 1.100. 1. 5. 1.50. 1. 1. 500. 1. together thus: 

V 5 

1 1 

C 100 

A 

R 

1 1 

V* 5 

S 

F 

1 1 

L 50 

1 1 

I L 

D 500 

E 

1 1 

The number of the Beast 666 



* Answer to a querist, respecting the mark of the Beast. 

Sir, 

In answer to your observation and queries, permit me to say, — 
the things I have asserted are stubborn clear facts, not mere suppo- 
sitions or fancies. 

The inscription in question was actually written over the door of 
the Vatican at Rome in express Latin words and characters, as in- 
serted in this publication, viz. Vicarivs Filii Dei ; and those l.av n 
words and characters, contain Latin numerals to the amount of 666, 
exactly corresponding with the number of the beast. 

With respect to the supposition you have conjured up, that the 
Pope might be called Vicarius Christ us, or Vicarius Ckristus Filii 
Dei, (a sort of gibberish that is neither 1 .atin, German, nor English,) 
H is a matter I have nothing to do with. Mr. D. may adopt these 



248 AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 

" It may be farther observed, that not many centuries 
back, on the front of the Pope's mitre, the word 

MYSTERY 
used to be inscribed, and was worn by them till the 
Reformers discovered and pointed it out to the people, 
as the scripture mark of Anti-Christ, from Rev. xvii., 
5, which glaring manifestation of " the man of sin " so 
opened the eyes of the multitude, that the custom was 
immediately abolished, and the word erased from the 
mitre." l 

V " Even those who are unacquainted with the lan- 
guages may, by comparing the characters and num- 
bers, (as given in the following table,) satisfy them- 
selves of the truth of the foregoing assertions." 

But we observe, 

2. That, by a most extraordinary coincidence, as 

or any other fancies to amuse himself, and to screen the head of his 
holiness ; but when he has done all, this question will still remain to 
be answered . Have those inscriptions ever appeared over the door 
of the Vatican at Rome 1 

As to Mr. D 's attempting to obscure the number of the beast 

666, contained in the numerals of the words Vicarivs Filii Dei, by 
objecting to a V ; however the Pope or his emisaries may be 
obliged to him for his kind exertions on their behalf, yet I presume 
neither of them will condescend to appear his humble fool in Latin, 
for the sale of sheltering themselves under his ignorance of the 
Latia alphabet and of ancient inscriptions. 

Let Mr. D but put his hand into his pocket, and examine a 

common halfpenny, he will then see, that a whole nation have una. 

nimously adopted that practice which Mr. D 's wisdom cannot 

discover the propriety of, viz. retaining the use of the ancient Latin 

V in preference to the U, as he will find by the inscription, viz. 
Georgivs not Georgius. 

1. Flemings key to the Apocalypse. Appendix, pp. 105 — 108. 



AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 



249 



NUMERAL LETTERS, AS FORMERLY USED BY THE NATIONS OF THE 
LATINS, GREEKS, AND HEBREWS. 



Latins Greeks and Hebrew. 


M. 1000 


a i 


o- 200 


a i 


a 80 


D. 500 
C. 100 
L. 50 
X. 10 


9 2 

r 3 

9 4 

8 5 


t 300 
v 400 
<p 500 
/ 600 


3 3 
1 4 

n 5 

1 6 


2 90 
p 100 
Ej 200 
E> 300 

n 400 


V. 5 
I 1 


s 6 
C 7 


ip 700 
oo 800 


t 7 

n 8 

t) 9 
1 10 

b 30 
fc 40 
3 50 
D 60 
3? 70 


FINALS. 




n 8 

& 9 
i 10 
* 20 
I 30 
?* 40 


Ttft 900 
« 1000 

P 2000 

y 3000 

b 4000 


•i 500 

t, 600 

700 

A 800 

4 900 
I 1000 

5 2000 




y 50 


e' 5000 








e 6o 

o 70 

7T 80 

h 90 


** 10,000 
x 20,000 
j? 100,000 








2 100 


a 200,000 






some contend, this same numerical mark of 666, com- 


poses the name also of the great Mahometan imposter. 


His name in Greek, Motopsng^ Mahomet^ composes ex- 


actly the number of 666. Thus, 


M « o fi s t ft g 


40 1 70 40 5 300 10 200 — 666.* 


This circumstance has led some to conjecture that 



* As the word Ma^m? must be regarded with complacency by 
those who consider Mahomet to have been the Antichrist, it will be 
proper here to state the objection to it, which is principally on ac- 
count ol the Orthography* The Romish Bishop Walmsley adopts 
it as written above on the authority, as he says, of Euthymius, Zo- 
nares, and Cadrenus; and considers that ii will be some j\ 
Turkish Anti-christ, who will adopt the name of Mahomet , v 
Faber, however, has shown that the authorities of the Bishop are a 



250 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

this number belonged exclusively to that remarkable 
man. 1 In our view, however, the utmost that can be 
claimed in these premises is, that it will apply only 
as merged in, and comprehended under, the greater 
and more obvious anti-Christian power, in its Papal 
form ; the Mahometan anti-Christian power being thus 
distinguished, from the circumstance of its running a 
career parallel, or nearly so, with that of the former. 
Nor can this view fail to derive material strength from 
the fact, that this numerical mark, as applied to the 
anti-Christian character of the Popedom, harmonizes 
precisely with the date of its assumption of that form 
which the elements of its earlier existence, in the re- 
lation of cause and effect, was calculated to produce, 
viz. its tyranny over the consciences of men, by the 
adoption (to the exclusion of the primitive forms) of a 
mode of religious worship which, to the great mass, 
is in an " unknown tongue. 1 '' 2 

daring fabrication of his own, as they all write the word differently 
from each other and from him : thus, 

Movxovfier, — Cedrenus. 

IV! wajieO, — Zonares. 

Mwa^J, — Euthymius. 
The latter also writes as Zonares. The following are additional 
instances of different modes of writing it adduced by Mr. Faber. 

Moa/^J, — Nicetas. 

Mexnerns, — Chalcocondylas. 

Max.c/.(£r, — Cantacuzenes. 

Mc^uer,— Ducas Michael. 

Maxov[i£rm, — Joannes Cananus. 
In none of the above names is it Maoris ; and Mr. Rabbell further 
contends that this is not a proper Greek termination, as it should 
be either to$ or reg" Brook's E!em. of Pror>h. Inter,, p. 315. 
1. Investigator, vol. ii., pp. 400 — 403. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 251 

Now, it is a matter of historic verity, that "in A.D. 
666, Pope Vitalian first ordained that public wor- 
ship should be performed in the Latin language, and 
popery really became the Latin Church." As there- 
fore the number of the Papal Beast is found in the 
name Latinus, (and with which corresponds the He- 
brew Romiith, and the Greek Iutelvoc,) it can ap- 
ply to no other than to the western, or Romish Church, 
whose subjects " are universally called Latins; and it 
is true as an able commentator l has expressed it, they 
latinise every thing ; masses, prayers, hymns, litanies, 
canons, bulls, in short, everything is in Latin ; the Papal 
councils speak Latin, nor is Scripture itself read in any 
other language under Popery than Latin. The council 
of Trent commanded the vulgar Latin to be the only 
authentic version; nor do their doctors doubt to prefer 
it to the Hebrew and Greek text, in which it was 
written by the Prophets and Apostles ; and, moreover, 
the Pope has communicated this language unto the 
people as the mark and character of the Empire." 

Finally, respecting this number we remark, that 
while its numeral letters, which indicate the name of 
the Beast, are designed to " show his character, or the 
copy of his countenance ; " the direction given Rev. 
xiii., 18, to " count his number," points us to the 
period as above, viz., A. D. 666, when he should as- 
sume this particular feature of his Anti-Christian 
career. Our conclusion is, that this number, as some 
contend, cannot have a common commencement with 



1. Dr. H. Moore. 3. Consult I Cor. xiii., xiv. 



252 AGE OF THE WORLD; &C. 

the 1260 years of Daniel and St. John : nor as others, 
because this particular form of the Papal Anti-Christ 
took its rise in the sixth century, that it is to continue 
to run a career of three times six, or eighteen cent- 
uries. Either of these conjectures introduce so much 
confusion in the department of prophetic Chronology, 
as to carry to every intelligent mind, the evidence of 
their own refutation. 

Of these two Anti-Christian powers therefore, the 
facts as herein brought to view demonstrate, that there 
is a correspondence in their general characteristics, — 
in their name, — in their malicious and cruel work, — ■ 
in the common object of their persecuting rage, and in 
the period assigned to each, for the commencement 
and termination of their respective career. Is it not 
reasonable therefore to conclude, that they commence 
and end their career together 1 True, the marks 
which evidence the period of the rise respectively of 
these two powers, may not at first sight exhibit them 
as exactly cotemporaneous. This however admitted ; 
as the " little horn " of Daniel vii., 8, and which is to 
be understood of the Papal persecution, was preceded 
by its preparatory elemental workings even in the 
days of the Apostle Paul ; l so of the " little horn " of 
Daniel viii., 8, 9, which denoted the existence of the 
Mohamedan imposture. And, as of their com??ience- 
ment, so of their termination. If we assign to both 
these powers, in accordance with the end of the period 
allotted to their prevalence respectively, a certified 
point of time, we are not to imagine a total annihila- 

1. 2 Thess. ii., 7. 



AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 253 

Hon of their peculiar elements. For, as the anti-christ- 
ian elements of the Papal power, preceded by some 
centuries, its existence in an embodied and tangible 
form ; so, upon the termination of the period assigned 
to its existence in that form, (like "the beasts" in 
Daniel vii. 12, which, white " they had their dominion 
taken away" " their lives were prolonged for a season 
and a time,") it may still exist in the union of its ele- 
ments with others, in the establishment of the last 
Anti-Christian Confederacy, which, according to the 
Apostle Paul, is immediately to precede the second 
advent. 1 And, what is true of the Pajial, is true also 
of the Mohamedan power. Indeed, of this last power, 
its final extinction, as one of the severest persecuting 
agencies in the hand of Satan against the church, is 
fixed in prophecy 2 at an advance of at least 51 years 
beyond the termination of the 1260 years. Hence we 
remark, that while these two persecuting powers, the 
Papal and the Mohamedan, are principally brought to 
view in the visions of Daniel and St. John, there are 
two others to which we would allude ; the one, the 
Pagan, the dread ordeal of trial to the Primitive 
Church : the other, the Infidel, a combination of the 
malign influences of the " three unclean spirits like 
frogs," which St. John saw "come out of the mouth 
of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and 
out of the mouth of the false pfophet ; " s and who is 
to constitute the last ordeal of the Church's integrity. 



1.2 Thess. ii. } 1 — 6. 0. Rev. ix., n. 15 

3. Rev. xvi., 13. 

22 



254 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

In conclusion therefore on this subject we remark, 
that, corresponding with these several persecuting 
powers of the faithful of God in different ages, are 
first, the " seven times" of Daniel iv., 16, comprehend- 
ing twice 1260 years, 1 and ending with it; and 
second, the 2300 years of Daniel viii., 14, which ends 
with the overthrow of the last Anti-Christ in 1847, 
and consequently includes all the persecuting Anti- 
Christian powers — the Pagan, the Papal, the Ma- 
hometan, and the Infidel. 

Sufficient therefore, we think, has been said to show 
that " the time, times, and an half," or 1260 years of 
Daniel vii. 25, and xii. 7, commence and end toge- 
ther. We now remark, that with this number syn- 

cfc'OWfe^ THE WILDERNESS STATE OF THE CHURCH, 

as brought to view in the " thousand, two hundred, 
and three score days, or 1260 years of Rev. xii. 6, and 
the " Forty and two months," or 1260 years of Rev. 
xi. 2, and xiii. 5. 

Now, as to the date of the commencement of the 
1260 years, if we can fix upon the period of the rise of 
either of the two above named principle persecuting 
or anti-Christian powers, it will fully answer all the 
purposes of arriving at the important conclusion which 
is the object of our search. This, we think, we can 
find in the period of the rise of the Papal power. 
True, on this subject, different dates are assigned, by 
different interpreters. Bishop Newton fixes it at A. D. 
727, at which time the Pope and people of Rome re- 

1. See p. 229. 



AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 255 

volted from the exarchal of Ravenna, and threw off 
their allegiance to the Greek Emperor. Fleming, in 
his Apocalyptical Key, adopts A. D. 606, as the time 
of its rise, assigning the reason, that in that year 
Phocas bestowed upon the Pope the title of Universal 
Bishop. 

The objection (which, with all due deference I sub- 
mit) the objection to Bishop Newton's period is, that 
it is adopted with a view to accommodate the termina- 
tion of the 1260 years as nearly as possible to the end 
of the last 2000 of the 6000th year of the world. 
" But the very circumstance of this being the case 
proves him to be in error ; for at the year 2000, ac- 
cording to his own showing, the millenium is to com- 
mence ; consequently prior to that time all the pro- 
phecies relating to the subjugation of the true church, 
and the dominion of apostacy, must have ceased." 
Consequently, the 6th and 7th vials (Rev. xvi. 12 — 
17) if poured out at all, that pouring out must take 
place after the commencement of the millennium, 
which supposition contravenes the general idea enter- 
tained of that state, which all consider to be exempt 
from the judgments of God. But we contend, and 
the Bishop virtually admits, that the 1260 years end 
with the pouring out of the fifth vial. The influence 
of the Beast (Papal) as the Bishop afterwards says, 
most probably will continue till the millennium, when 
he is to be miraculously ''consumed with the spirit of 
the mouth, and destroyed with the brightness of the 
coming" l of the Son of Man. This perfectly accords 

1. 2 Thess. ii., 8. 



256 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

with our view, that the reign of Popery (regal) will 
cease before the dogmas he has been instrumental in 
upholding as the spiritual anti-christ, will have been 
exterminated. As already shown, he existed before 
the 1260 years, though in a different character. Why 
may he not do so after ? 

Fleming's date of 606 is, in our view, a nearer ap- 
proximation to the truth. But the edict of Phocas in 
that year, constituting the Pope universal Bishop, was 
but the confirmation of the previous act of Justinian, 
in A.D. 533, 1 when that Emperor, addressing John 
II., in an epistle, calls him " the head of all the holy 
Churches, and states that he had made haste to sub- 
ject and unite to the seat of his holiness (vestrae 
sanctitatis) all the priests of the whole east."* 

To this we are aware it is objected, that " Anti- 
Christ had already risen ;" that "neither John II. nor 
any of his immediate successors — -■ Agapetus, Silve- 
rius, Vigilius, Pelagius, John III., Benedict, Pelagius 
II., Gregory, or Sabinianus, adopted the appellation, 
" Head of the Church." And that " one of these ten 



1. This date is now adopted by all the most eminent interpreters 
of Frophecy — Bickersteth, Cunninghame, Freie, Irving, Keith, 
Habershon, and many others. Mr. Faber likewise adopted it in 
the former editions of his sacred calendar, and from him, indeed, 
Mr. Cunninghame first derived it. In a subsequent edition, how- 
ever, it is excluded, and he has adopted in its stead, the period of 
the Gothic Kingdoms unanimously recognising the Papal supre- 
macy. This he has done, to avoid " the conclusion (which was 
inevitable in his former editions) that the Second Advent of Christ 
is Pre-MilknialP 

2. Code Lib. i. Tit. i. 5 1. 8. Court of Rome, p. 6. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 257 

Bishops, Gregory the Great, protested against its usur- 
pation by John, patriarch of Constantinople, pro- 
nounced him to be Anti-christ who should assume it, 
and that by way of contrast, called himself " Ser- 
vius Servorum Dei." Yet these, and a thousand and 
one similar objections to the contrary notwithstanding, 
may all be accounted for by the motive of humility 
assumed by Gregory the Great, which evidently was, 
to " exhibit, by way of contrast, the arrogance of the 
Bishop of Constantinople," a formidable rival to his 
Holiness, who had taken to himself " the title of 
Universal, or (Ecumenical Bishop." For, says the 
author of the Histoire des Papes, he (Gregory) did 
not, on that account, omit to take the care of the uni- 
versal church. The reason he gave for not taking the 
title of universal was, that it was (tm nom fastueux 
superbe,) a proud name, and not suitable to Christian 
humility. Not that he did not know and acknowledge 
truly that the Popes were chiefs and sovereign 
Pastors of the whole Catholic Church. For him- 
self showed, by several actions in this same year (595) 
that he was the Bishop of the universal world" l 

Mr. Cunninghame, on the Apocalypse, 3rd edition, 
p. 256, in treating of this date, first lays down as a pro- 
position, that the commencement of the 1260 years is 
to be marked by the giving the saints, and times, 
and laws {of the Church) into the hands of the lit- 
tie horn. And he next adopts the axiom of Mr, Fa- 
ber, that the giving of the saints into the hands of the 



1. Hist, des Popes, p. 339. Court of Rome, p. 6. 

22* 



258 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Papacy, must be by some formal act of the secular 
power of the empire, constituting the Pope the Head 
of the Church." He then resolves that act into the 
above edict of Justinian, A. D, 533, who first issues a 
decree, demanding from his subjects the adoption of 
the principal article of his faith, which was, that the 
Virgin Mary was the Mother oi God* (thus publicly 
avowing the principles of demon olatry) and that under 
the penalty of a confiscation of their property, and 
then submits this edict to the Pope, asking his sanc- 
tion thereto, which was given in the following year. 
This was followed by the invocation of the Virgin 
Mary, in an edict addressed by Justinian to the Prce- 
feet of Africa, thus giving public evidence that the 
faith of the head of the empire was not only blasphe- 
mous but demonolatrous. Finally, all the preceding 
acts of Justinian for establishing a secular and eccle- 
siastical supremacy in the Church (including also a 
letter to the patriarch of Constantinople, in which the 
above titles were likewise given to the Pope,) were 
inserted in the volume of the Civil Law, published by 
Justinian, which became the basis of the jurispru- 
dence of all the kingdoms of the western empire ; and 
Mr. Cunninghame, in his critical examination of Fa- 
ber, page 90, states also that the previous edicts of 
Gratian and Valentinian the III., on which Mr. Faber 
and others lay great emphasis, are not to be found in 
that volume ; a distinction which he thinks of a very 
prominent character between the two former edicts 
and that of Justinian, as to their becoming the settled 
and ultimate law of the empire. And although 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 259 

Comber, in his "Forgeries of the Councils," p. 251, of- 
fers some plausible reasons against the probability of 
the above acts of Justinian, yet that he really did con- 
sider the Pope pre-eminent, is evident from the fact 
that he identified the letters to the Pope with the civil 
law, and embodied his primacy in that law ; in con- 
firmation of which Gibbon says, " the vain titles of 
the victories of Justinian are crumbled in the dust ; 
but the name of the legislator is inscribed on a fair 
and everlasting monument. Under his name, and by 
his care, the civil jurisprudence was digested in the 
immortal works of the Code, the Pandects, and the 
Institutions — the public reasons of the Romans 
has been silently or studiously transfused into the 
domestic institutions of Europe, and the laws 
of Justinian still command the respect or obedience of 
independent nations." 1 " The novels " of Justinian 
" are full of directions about ecclesiastical matters, 
and the primacy over the Christian Church, through 
the Roman Empire, is given to the Pope in the body 
of them ; " and "there are other expressions in Justi- 
nian's novels, making the Pope pre-eminent, to which 
Comber has not alluded. (Nov. 131, ch. 2.) " Sanci- 
mus sanctissimum senioris Romae Papain primum 
esse omnium sacerdotum." 2 

The history, then, of the rise of the Papal Ante- 



1. See Encyclo. Brit, on "Law." 

2. See on this subject, Brook's Elements o( Proph, Interpret: i- 
tation pp. 335—338. Also, Bickersteth's Guide, tec., pp, MO, 
141. 



260 AGE OP THE WORLD, &C. 

christ we would sum up as follows : This " man of 
sin and son of perdition " was conceived in the age of 
the apostles and the primitive church, from A. D. 34 
to 553, at which time he was born. Thence to the 
period of his adolescence in A. D. 606 ; thence to his 
virility or manhood, in A. D. 666 ; at which time, 
having planted himself firmly in his anti-christian seat, 
he prosecuted with more vigorous and unrelenting 
fury the already begun work of " speaking great words 
against the Most High — of wearing out the saints of 
the Most High — of changing times and laws," &C. 1 

But the career of his malice and rage against the 
saints was limited. The time was set " when he 
should have accomplished to scatter the power of the 
holy people." He was only to " consume and destroy 
it unto the end?* That end arrived, " the judg- 
ment was to sit, and his dominion was to be taken 
away? 3 Yes, the little horn u of Daniel vii., 8, was 
to wear out the saints of the Most High, and to prevail 
against them, until the ancient of days came," at 
which time "judgment was to be given to the saints 
of the Most High, when they should possess the 
kingdom." 4 

The limits of this dominion, according to Daniel, 
and with which, as we have shown, synchronizes the 
duration of the wilderness state of the Church as des- 
cribed by St. John, is fixed at 1260 years. 

Now, if, at the expiration of the 1260 years from 



1. Dan. vii., 25. 3. Dan. vii., 26. 

2. Dan. xii., 7; vii., 26. 4. Dan. vii., 21, 22. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 261 

A. D., 533, history is marked by any event correspond- 
ing in magnitude with the taking away of the power 
of the Papal Antichrist, all conjecture, as to the birth 
of this power, viz., A. D., 533, must give place to 
certainty. 

This then, we affirm, is true of A. D. 1793. 

To place this subject, in connexion with our pre- 
ceding remarks respecting the persecuting powers of 
of the Church in a still clearer light, wejemark, that, 
u during the Old Testament dispensation, the people 
of God wore a strictly national aspect." So with 
their persecutors. " First they were the Egyptians, 
then the Assyrians, then the Babylonians, then the 
Persians, and subsequently the Romans. But among 
them Babylon was pre-eminent : l so much so, as to 
give a general name to the whole persecuting power" 

But, as under the Old, so under the New Testament 
dispensation : " the people of God wore a two-fold as- 
pect, national and spiritual, — national as regards 
their outward privileges, spiritual, as regards their re- 
ligious character." So, " the great oppressor, the per- 
secutor, the successful opponent of the people of God :" 
the Scriptures presenting him to our view in a double 
aspect, viz., " national and an^i-spiritual, — national, in 
opposition to their outward privileges, to their proper* 
ties, and to their lives ; and anti-spiritual, in her dead- 
ly hostility to the truth, the life and soul of the 
Church of God." 

The question now presents itself, — whither are we 

1. Dan. ii. 31 — 38. 



262 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C 

to look for the existence, in their perfection, of these 
hostile machinations, against the outward privileges 
and spiritual truth of God's people ? As u the lan- 
guage, applied to the literal Israel, continues applica- 
ble to that nation, still beloved for the Father's sake, 
and at the same time becomes transferable to the 
spiritual Israel ;" So " the language of the Old Tes- 
tament, also, applied to the literal Babylon, furnished 
a mode of speech which was adopted by the Apostles 
under the new, to set forth the anti-spiritual oppressors 
of the people of God under the present dispensation : 
so that the language applied to the literal Babylon is 
now transferrable to the Romish system, wherever 
found. This fact may be confirmed by a single illus- 
tration, — that, for instance, which relates to the des- 
truction of human life of " the Saints of the Most 
High," at the hand of the little papal horn of Daniel. 
"Joseph Mede reckons up 1,200,000 of the Waldenses 
and Albigenses put to death in 30 years. It is calcu- 
lated, that the Roman Catholics, since the rise of the 
persecution in the 7th or 8th century, to the present 
time, have butchered, in their blind and diabolical 
zeal for the Church, no less than 50,000,000 of those 
they term heretics. Since the Spaniards set foot on 
the shores of America, it is calculated they have butch- 
ered 12,000,000 on the Continent, besides the many 
millions who fell in the islands." l " Lorentes calcu- 
lates that the inquisition in the Spanish peninsula 
alone, under the uninterrupted dominion of 45 grand 
inquisitors, have sacrificed 241,000 individuals." 

1. Simpson's Plea, p. 195. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 263 

" Popery must bear the blame of this ; for the Pope, 
by virtue of his blasphemous title as God's vicar and 
vicegerent, gave Philip of Spain all those countries, 
and his blood-thirsty soldiers first took possession of 
them in the Poptfs name, and then proceeded to ex- 
tirpate the inhabitants." 1 

This, we say, was the virus (the venom) of the an- 
cient " Babylonish system : but the perfection of that 
system is found especially at Rome ; and therefore, we 
find this persecutor of the people of God, set forth 
under the New Testament, by the name of Babylon, 
and by the description of a city standing on seven 
hills, which is a description of Rome, as the mystic 
" BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF 
HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE 
EARTH.' 2 

" Curs'd System, bitter root of every crime, 
Of sin the ugliest, foulest incarnation , 
The darkest blood-shot on the face of time, 
Sure source of ruin unto many a nation : 
The bane of peace, the hind'rer of Salvation, 
The severer of every tender tie ; 
Fountain of broken hearts, true imitation 
Of Satan's regal power and dignity." 

In addition, " a few facts recalled to mind, will show 
that these heavy charges are not without foundation. 
Look at its image worship, and other hundred sense- 
less, mischievous mummeries, both for the dead and 
the living. Think how it takes away the book of life, 



1. Thoughts on the Com. and King of Chris., by John Cox, p. 99. 

2. Rev. v. 17. 



264 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 



the lamp of eternity. Consider how it exalts saints 
and angels, and degrades the Redeemer !" 

" But we are told that popery is changed, and that 
these things should not now be mentioned ; but be- 
cause I believe it is unchanged and unchangeable, 
I have hinted at these things. I believe popery as a 
system, to be like sin ; both may, yea, both shall be 
annihilated, but neither can be changed ; while they 
live, they will retain their nature, and restlessly follow 
up their grand object, which in both is, dominion." 

The strength of the papal dominion may be infer- 
red from the fact, that in A. D. 1793, France alone 
contained upwards of 366,000 secular and regular 
clergy, besides an immense number of nuns. In the 
whole of Christendom, there were no less than 255, 
444 monasteries about 150 years ago. 

The period however had ultimately arrived, when 
this Anti-christian dominion was to receive an intima- 
tion, (a sign,) of its long-predicted doom. Besides nu- 
merous other premonitions of this, which our limits 
necessarily exclude, that of Henry VIII and his suc- 
cessors in England, in suppressing 3180 monasteries, 
containing a population of 50,000 persons, may serve 
as an example. But it was at the fall of the French 
monarchy, on the 10th of August, 1792, that a series 
of the most stupendous events began their awful 
course, which so exactly correspond in character with 
the results to be expected from the judgement of the 
Ancient of Days upon the Papal power, that we are 
led, reasoning from these events, to fix on the follow- 
ing year, A. D. 1793, when that Hierarchy was shak- 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 265 

en to its centre by the apocalyptic earthquake, as 
the era of the commencement of that Judgment, 
a description of which is given in Daniel vii. 9 — 1L 
It is as follows : 

" I beheld till the thrones were cast down (or set) 
and the Ancient of Days did sit. A fiery stream came 
forth from before him, thousand thousands ministered 
unto him — and ten thousand times ten thousand 
stood before him — the judgment was set, and the 
books were opened. I beheld then, because of the 
voice of the great words which the horn spake, I be- 
held even till the beast was slain, and his body 
destroyed, and given to the burning flame." 

Before considering the import of these words, let it be 
observed, that the verse which follows, namely, the 
12th, is a parenthesis, and simply informs us, that 
when the three former Beasts were deprived of their 
dominion, it was not effected by a destruction similar 
to that of the fourth Beast, but their lives (that is, the 
political existence of the nations of which they con- 
sisted) were prolonged for a season. As to the fulfil- 
ment of this, history testifies to it. Indeed, the nations 
inhabiting the territories of the former three Beasts, 
continue in existence even to the present day, 
although in a feeble state, and now fast wasting 
away. 

The Judgement of the Ancient of Days is an 
emblematical representation of that special act of the 
Father, which is signified in the words of the 110th 

1. Rev. 

23 



266 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

Psalm : Sit thou at my right hand until I make 
thy foes thy footstool. It is manifest from the 
last clause that there is to be an acting or putting 
forth of the power of the Almighty Father in 
making the enemies of Christ his footstool. The An- 
cient of Days, or the Eternal Father, is here 
represented, therefore, as coming, (for the Horn pre- 
vailed against the saints until the Ancient of days 
came, 1 ) and sitting down with his joint assessors (the 
imagery being taken, as Mede observes, from the ses- 
sion of the Jewish Sanhedrim) on the throne of Judg- 
ment. The fourth Beast, and his lawless Horn, are 
summoned to the bar and condemned, and the execu- 
tion of the judgment is begun. 

Now, seeing that the Eternal Father, is essent- 
ially invisible to mortal eyes, and no man hath seen 
Him, or can see Him; 9, it is necessarily implied in 
the foregoing description of the Judgment of the An- 
cient of Days, that it is conducted by an agency 
which is altogether invisible and can be discerned 
only by the eye of Faith. 

Its effects, however, must be awful and universal as 
it respects the territories of the fourth Beast of Daniel, 
and must bring in a train of calamities of the most 
fearful and unequalled extent. Turning now to the 
history of Europe for the last forty-one years, we find, 
that during that period, every European kingdom has 
been shaken to its foundations. The throne of 
France, its central kingdom, has been overthrown five 

1. Dan. vii., 22. 2. 1 Tim. vi. } 16. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 267 



times, 1 besides numerous minor changes. The 
thrones of the greater part of the other European 
Kingdoms have been twice subverted. 2 Every part 
of Continental Europe has been drenched with blood 
in a series of wars, wherein millions of the human 
race have fallen by the sword and disease. 

Every Capital of the European Kingdoms of the 
Continent, from Moscow to Lisbon, has, in the same 
period, been occupied by foreign armies. 

In the greater part of Europe, the property of the 
Church of Rome has been seized for secular purposes. 
The Papal dominion has also been shaken to its 
foundation, and its power to persecute the Saints 
taken away. It is true, that it is now using every 
effort to obtain proselytes, and with such success as 
justly to alarm the true disciples of the Lord — but it 
is obliged to trust to the power of persuasion only, 
and is deprived throughout Europe of the power of 
the temporal sword, which was formerly wielded in 
its behalf. The destruction of the Papal Power is 
proceeding even in the States of America, which pro- 
fess the Romish faith. In the year 1S25, an impor- 
tant State Paper was issued by the Congress of 
Mexico, renouncing the authority of Rome to interfere 
in secular and political affairs ; and in the Republic 



1. 1st. Overthrow, that of Louis XVI. in 17D-2. k 3d. Bonaparte m 
1814. 3d. Louis XVIII. in 1815. 4th. Bonaparte in 1815. 5th. 
Charles X. in 1830. 

2. 1st. At the overthrow of the ancient Dynasties; and Odly. 
When the vassal Kings of Bonaparte shared the same fate. 



268 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

of Colombia the public exercise of the Protestant wor- 
ship has within the last two years been permitted. It 
was before prohibited. 

During the whole of the above period of forty-one 
years, Europe has been in a continued state of revolu- 
tionary excitement, nor has it enjoyed, even within 
the last seventeen years of peace, so much as one year 
of solid tranquillity ', free from the alarms of the polit- 
ical volcano which has ever and anon been manifest- 
ing the signs of new eruptions. 

In the British kingdoms, by the passing of the Ca- 
tholic Emancipation Bill, in the year 1829, and the 
Reform Bill in 1832, there was effected within the 
short space of little more than three years, an entire 
revolution, whereby its Political and Ecclesiastical 
Constitution has been changed, its House of Peers de- 
graded as an independent branch of the Legislature, 
its Aristocracy deprived of its power, which has been 
transferred to the people, and its monarchy left as a 
naked column without support. 1 This country, 
though exempted from the miseries of foreign inva- 
sion, has been most severely visited by commercial, 
and manufacturing, and agricultural distress, at differ- 
ent intervals, which have reduced the poorer classes 
from comparative c omfort to misery. 

It may be added, that all Europe is now trembling 



1. It will be understood, that this is merely a narrative of the 
late changes, without any opinion, whether they are for better or 
worse. That their effects, as here stated, are not magnified, might 
easily be shown, were there space for it. 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 269 

and heaving with the expectation of some mighty 
crisis, so that no words can fitly express its present 
condition; but those of our Lord hin self, who thus 
describes the same series of events, which have been 
detailed in the preceding pages, as the results of the 
sitting of the Judgment of the Ancient of Days." l 

This Judgment of the Ancient of Days on the Pa- 
pal Anti-Christ still holds its righteous session over 
that dread power. But, in addition to its former na- 
tional and JLn^i-Spiritual Characteristics as the great 
persecuting power of the Church, (the generality of 
commentators admitting that popery, in its combined 
political and ecclesiastical forms are represented by 
the beast from the sea and the beast from the earth of 
Rev. xiii., and by the harlot of chapter xvii.,) "there 
is another Anti-Christian power in existence, whose 
career is subsequent to the reign of the harlot ; and 
the first of whose acts," upon the attainment of suffi- 
cient power, " like a true wild beast, is to turn and 
rend her, with whom he has been, under a former 
aspect, in alliance." — I mean the beast from the bot- 
tomless pit. This power will be Popery Infidel- 
ized, wielding over the nations the sceptre of des- 
potism ! 2 

Having then demonstrated, page 233 that the 1260, 

the 1290, and the 1335 years of Daniel xii. have a 

common commencement; also, that the 1260 years 

terminated in A. D. 1793, as the time of the com- 

— — 1 — — - — _ _ — 1 — ■ — *.— 

1. Cimninghame's Polit. Dost, oftha Earth, p. '20 — 31. 
2. See Rev. xvi., 10 — 11. 
23* 



270 AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 

mencement of the Judgment upon the Papal beast by 
the ancient of Days ; there remains an excess of 30 
years of the 1290 over the 1260, and of 45 years of 
the 1335 over the 1290. 

Now, as the 1260 years refers to the duration of the 
Papal dominion in its consolidated form, and 1793 
marks the period of the commencement of its over- 
throw ; so, counting the 1335 years from A. D. 533? 
it brings us down to A. D. 1868, the time of the 
commencement of millennial blessedness as pour- 
trayed by Daniel xii., 12, 13; as the period of con- 
summated ruin to the confederated Papal, Infidel, and 
despotic Anti-Christian power. But, this intervening 
75 years from A. D. 1793 to A. D. 1868, being di- 
vided, as above, into two periods of 30 and 45 years, 
the first term of 30 years terminated A. D. 1822, 
which was signalized by the following remarkable 
events, viz., — the declaration of independence by the 
Greeks, and their consequent separation from Turkey, 
which resulted in the restoration of the seat of the 
third empire to political power ; the pouring out of 
the sixth vial, and the preaching of the second advent. 
The second term of 45 years is that interval during 
which the great " day of the Lord," the day of " the 
end," is signalized by " the breaking up of the visible 
gentile kingdoms and Churches, (Rev. xvi., 19,) on 
account of their apostacy and wickedness, by a series 
of desolating judgments foretold distinctly in Dan. ii., 
34, 35," and in the seven apocalyptic thunders, (Rev. 
x., 1.— -4) which St. John was commanded to " seal 
up." Both in Daniel and St. John, these and similar 



AGE OF THE WORLD, &C. 271 

predictions are explicitly interpreted by the angel as 
pointing out Christ's kingdom, breaking in pieces 
all the previous kingdoms, and which will stand 
forever. 

Here, then, is the complete overthrow of Popery, 
Mahomedanism, Infidelity, and every opposing 
kingdom. This is the time of trouble, such as never 
was since there was a nation to this time ; no, nor 
ever shall be. Heaven prepare us for, and preserve 
us during our exposure to, the days of calamity which 
await us ! 

In conclusion, 





A. M. 


A- D. 


1. Put down from Creation and Fall to the com- 

mencement of Daniel's 70 prophetic weeks 

2. Commencement of Daniel's 70 weeks to the Na- 

tivity 


3679 
453 


533 

1260 

30 

45 


3. From the Nativity to the commencement of the 
1260 years 


4. The 1260 years 


5. Excess of 1290 years over the above 


6. Excess of 1335 over 1290 




From the Creation to the Nativity 


4132 


1868 


From the Nativity to the end of time 


1S68 


Total 


6000 


'■ 



" The Signs of the Times," as delineated in the 
following Lecture, will, we think, be found to confirm 
the above chronology. 



LECTURE II. 



"SIGNS OF THE TIMES," &c. 



Matt, xvi., 23. 

u O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the 
sky ; but can ye not discern the signs of the 
times ? " 

Habak. ii., 3. 

" The vision is yet for an appointed time ; but at 
the end it shall speak, and not lie ; though it tarry, 
wait for it, because it will surely come ; it will 
not tarry P 

Luke xxi., 28. 

" Andiohen these things begin to come to jiass, then 
look up, and lift up your heads, for your redemp- 
tion draweth nigh.' 1 

These three passages taken together, form the ground 
work of our present Lecture. The first asserts the 
existence of " signs," as applicable to " times and sea- 
sons" generally ; in other words, that there is a per- 
fect analogy between the physical effects consequent 
upon the mutations of the heavenly bodies in produc- 
ing incessant fluctuations from "fair weather" to 
"foul;" and those moral effects which are the result 



274 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

of God's providences, and which, in the collect for 
fourth Sunday after Easter, are significantly styled 
" the sundry and manifold changes of the world." The 
second passage is designed to teach us that there are 
limits set to the long period of concealment of the 
prophetic word, and that the time is designated when 
that period of concealment should terminate ; viz., 
"at the end? And the third passage directs our 
thoughts to a consideration of " signs," which, in 
addition to dates, as brought to view in the preced- 
ing Lecture, are designed to indicate "the time "of 
" the end." 

Nor let any suppose, that we are conducting them 
into a field of wild conjecture, or of idle speculation ; 
for, of those constantly recurring signs in the physical 
world, the lover of nature may sing, 

" Not till the freezing blast is still, 
Till freely leaps the sparkling rill, 
And gales sweep soft from summer skies, 
As o'er a sleeping infant's eyes 
A mother's kiss ; e'er calls like these, 
No sunny gleam awakes the trees, 
Nor dare the tender flow'rets show 
Their bosoms to th' uncertain glow." 

Nor less certainly may the truly contemplative lover 
of God's eternal truth, as it is unfolded by " signs " in 
the moral world, sing, 

M Not surer does each tender gem, 
Set in the fig-tree's polished stem, 
Foreshow the summer season bland, 
Than these dread signs— thy mighty hand !" 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 275 

Yes, of " the Church of the living God," which his 
word declares is "the pillar and ground of the truth," 
the existence of a general defection from the truth to 
the contrary notwithstanding, it may be said, 

" She has a charm, a word of fire. 
A pledge of love that cannot tire ; 
By tempests, earthquakes, and by wars, 
By rushing waves and falling stars, 
By every sign her Lord foretold, 
She sees the world is waxing old; 
And, through that last and direst storm, 
Descries by faitk her Savior's form." 

These and the like considerations lead us to 
perceive with what force and power our Lord must 
have charged home upon the Pharisees and Sadducees 
of his day, the appropriate epithet of " hypocrite !" 
" Ye can discern the face of the skyP says he : why 
not then with equal clearness, " discern the signs of 
the times ?" as though he said, both are equally marked 
by their appropriate characteristics — hoth, therefore, 
are equally intelligible. " When it is evening, ye 
say, It will be fair weather, for the sky is red — and 
in the morning, It will he foul weather to-day, for the 
sky is red and lowring" — But, " The Times' 1 are cha- 
racterized by " Signs" even of paramount significance. 
11 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the 
lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are 
raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to 
them." l Why then pretend ignorance o( the lessons 

1. Matt, xi., 5. 



276 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C 



of instruction imparted by the one, any more than the 
other ? It is sheer, base hypocrisy ! Brethren, my 
prayer is, — may God avert from us this tremendous 
charge ! 

But, in order to this, we must avoid the sin of that 
presumptuous, heaven-daring Infidelity, which refuses 
to receive the truth of God, unless attested by redun- 
dant evidence. This, as it was the fatal error, so it 
was the heinous sin, of the ancient Pharisees and Sad- 
ducees, who, tempting Christ, desired him that he 
would show them a Sign from heaven ; " whereas 
Christ uniformly taught that the works (miracles) 
which he did in his Father's name," as " the Signs of 
the times, " in unison with all that the Prophets had 
spoken concerning him. bore ample testimony to the 
truth of his Messiahship, which Messiahship, or the 
Deity veiled in human flesh, constituted the founda- 
tion of all the moral phenomena peculiar to that age. 

Nor is this all. We, " upon whom the ends of the 
world are come," are admonished by the errors of the 
most eminent saints in these premises in all ages, to 
guard most sedulously against incredulity on the one 
hand, and idle curiosity on the other. Of increduli- 
ty^ as it respects the faithfulness and power of God, 
in the accomplishment of all that he hath spoken ; 
as illustrated in the conduct of Abraham, who. when 
God said to him, "I am the Lord that brought thee 
out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to in- 
herit it," i. e., the land of Canaan, replied, " Lord God, 

1. Cor. x. 11. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 277 

whereby shall I know that / shall inherit it V* Also 
in the conduct of Sarah, whose scornful laugh at the 
promise of a son in her old age, though she vainly at- 
tempted to conceal it, betrayed the presiding convic- 
tion of her mind that the " thing" was " too hard for 
the Lord.' 7 l Of idle curiosity, as seen in the prying 
inquisitiveness into the veiled mysteries of God, of 
the Midian shepherd, Moses, when his eye, being at- 
tracted by the brilliancy of the burning but uncon- 
sumed bush, said, " I will now turn aside and see this 
great sight, why the bush is not burnt." 2 These, 
with other and similar instances which might be ad- 
duced in illustration of the above, we say, were errors 
of the great and good : and though not damnable, yet 
furnish occasions for admonition and rebuke. 

But, incredulity in the faithfulness and power of 
God to perform all that he hath spoken ; and idle cu- 
riosity respecting His veiled mysteries, constitute, pre- 
eminently, the errors, — as a Pharisaical infidelity does 
the sin, of this remarkable age. While, as in primitive 
times, this adulterous generation, when addressed upon 
the general truths of the Gospel, demand, as a condi- 
tion of their belief, " a sign from heaven" 3 or that 
" one arise from the dead ;" 4 the great body of those 
" who profess and call themselves Christians." either 
betray a disposition to tread upon ground where an- 
gels dare not venture, or, when addressed upon the 



1. Gen. xv. 7, 8. 3. Gen. xviii. 10—15 

3. Exod. iii. 1—3. 4. Matt wi ; I. 



24 



278 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

subject of those events which are now transpiring, or 
which are about to transpire on the present theatre of 
time, ask, "How can these things be?" 1 For in- 
stance — When we speak of the final drying up of the 
mystic Euphrates, or the total extinction of the Ot- 
toman Empire, as soon to take place. — When Ave ad- 
vert to the appearance of " the Man of Sin, the son of 
perdition" 2 who, as a real person, is to head the last 
and greatest antichristian confederacy, as soon to be 
revealed — When we speak of the restoration, after a 
long and painful exile, of the Jewish nation to the 
promised land of their fathers, 3 as nig hat hand — Final- 
ly, and above all, when we call the attention to the 
second, personal, pre-millenia], glorious advent of our 
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, 4 accompanied by his 
risen and glorified saints, 5 upon the completion of the 
Jewish restoration ; and that for the express purpose 
of " dashing to pieces like a potter's vessel" 6 their, 
and our, and his enemies, and to set up his " taberna- 
cle among men" 7 by the establishment of that " king- 
dom which is to break down and destroy all others, 
and which is to stand forever ;" — 8 1 say, when these 
and the like truths, as we receive them, and honestly 
believe to be taught in the word of God, are addressed 
to their understanding, professors of religion " with 
one consent, 9 and almost en masse, rise up and charge 
us with bringing " strange things to their ears." 9 

1. John iii. 9. 2. 2 Thess. ii. 3. 

3. Ezek. xxxviii. 14—28. 4. Acts i. 10, 11. 

5. 1 Thess. iv. 15—18. 6. Isa. xxx. 14. 

7. Rev. xxi. 3. 8. Dan. ii. 44. 

9. Acts xvii. 20. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 279 



In order, therefore, to disabuse the minds of Chris- 
tians of an error, the practical tendency of which, in 
the study of the prophecies whether of the Old or 
New Testament, tends to prove so highly derogatory 
to the honor and glory of the God of the prophets, by 
perverting, yea, defeating the very ends for which the 
predictions as uttered by them respectively were de- 
signed, we deem it important not only, but essential to 
a proper understanding of the subject, that we here 
institute a distinction between prophecy and the 
"signs" which accompany them. 

" To prophecy, is to look forward and tell the events 
of years to come, even as history tells the events of 
years that are past? l Hence history is the interpret- 
er of prophecy. 

" Signs" are the harbingers of events pointed out 
by prophecy. 

Our next remark is, that to predict future events, 
and to define the signs which are 1o indicate their ful- 
filment, is the exclusive province of the Almighty. 
He alone " knows the end from the be^innin^." 

" Signs," we observe further, are designed to herald 
the fulfilment' of predicted events as near at hand. 
This point we shall illustrate as we advance. We 
now ask, why this arrangement of " signs " as the 
precursors of future events, with the predictions which 
announce them? Are they to be looked upon as an 
unmeaning ordinance of heaven? Then the Almighty 
is trifling with his creatures. Nay, I venture to affirm 

l. McNeil's Second Advent, p. -19. 



280 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

that there is not one in this intelligent assembly to- 
night, who, when pointed to any one of the fulfilled 
prophecies connected with which was a " sign," as a 
prelude of its accomplishment, would not consider it 
an insult to his understanding if called upon to close 
his eyes against it. Tell such an one that the " sign " 
means nothing, and he will tell you, and rightly too, 
that the prediction means nothing. 

This result, however, contemplates the subject in 
its direct and individual application to the heart and 
conscience in the sight of God, and it relates to a sinr 
gle fulfilled prediction, and its accompanying sign or 
signs. The point whence arises hesitancy, doubt, and 
unbelief in these premises is, when you spread out the 
great chart of unfulfilled prophecy as a tchole, mark- 
ing out what portions are now in course of fulfilment, 
and what that yet remains to be fulfilled, as indicated 
by their respective sign or signs. Yet it is at this 
point that it is objected, both in verbal and in written 
forms, that prophecy, singly or collectively, can in no 
sense be understood, until the event or events com- 
prehended therein verify their import by their ac- 
complishment. 

Now, in furnishing a reply to this objection, it will 
be serviceable to state, 

1. That every prediction comprehends within itself 
the double characteristic of judgment and of mercy. 
Of judgment, for the contemnors of God's law ; of 
mercy, for those who delight in its observance. Hence, 

2. Corresponding with this truth is the fact, that 
every prediction proclaims alike to all, a learning and 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 281 

a promise. A warning to the rebellious — a promise 
to the obedient. 

To illustrate these points. The voice of prophecy 
proclaimed to Noah, and through him to the apostate 
antediluvians, God's purpose to destroy all flesh from 
off the face of the earth by the flood. 1 The same 
voice of prophecy pointed out the overthrow of the 
five rebellious cities of the plain in the time of Abra- 
ham and Lot. 2 Also, of the 430 years " sojourning " 
of the Israelites in Egypt, and of their bondage during 
this period to that people. 3 Also, of the 70 years 
captivity of Judah, 4 &c. 

We now ask, were all those interested in the events 
set forth in these predictions, subjected to the annoy- 
ance and perplexity of vague conjecture either as to 
the time or circumstances of their accomplishment ? 
In other words, were they totally ignorant of their 
import till verified by the fulfilment of the events of 
which they spake? Nay, verily, the warning voice 
of 120 years, 5 reiterated the approaching judgments 
of God on the "old world," 6 the inhabitants of which 
unheeding, "perished;" 7 while, "by faith" in the 
promised preservation of himself and family, 8 "Noah, 
being warned of God of things not yet seen, moved 
with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, 
by which he condemned the world, and became heir 



l. Gen. vi. 17. 0. Gen. rvii 

3. Gen. xv., 14 4. Jer. rxv., 12. 

5. Gen. vi. 3. 6. 9 Pet. li. 5. 

7. Gen. vii. 22, 23. 8. Gen. vi. 13— ft 

24* 



282 SIGXS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

of the righteousness which is by faith." l Respecting 
the destruction of the cities of the plain, saith God 
" Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do."? 2 
So far from this, the voice of warning is proclaimed 
also in the ears of Lot, the only righteous inhabitant 
within the walls of Sodom ; 3 and, warned thus him- 
self, he flees in haste u to his sons-in-law, which mar- 
ried his daughters, and said, up, get ye out of this 
place ; for the Lord will destroy this city ! But he 
seemed as one that mocked his sons-in-law." 4 With 
the predicted affliction of the Israelites in Egypt was 
connected the threatened judgment of God upon the 
nation whom they should serve not cnly, but the pe- 
riod of its endurance was specified — 430 years. 5 The 
parents of Moses (who were of the tribe of Levi, which 
tribe was devoted to the services of the temple, 6 and 
who " were not afraid of the king's commandment, " 7 
that " every [Hebrew] son that was born should be 
cast into the river," 8 ) having "hid him three months, 
because they saw he was a proper child," (i. e. " good- 
ly » 9_ « fair to God." 10 ) And God having meted out 
to them the due reward of their faith by the restoration 
of their infant son from the brink of a watery grave 
at the hands of the king's daughter ; as he advanced 
to manhood, imparted to him that instruction respect- 

1. Heb. xi. } 7. 2. Gen. xviii 17— 21.. 

3. Gen. xix., 12. 4. Gen. xix. 14. 

5. Gen. xv., 13—17. 6. Num. in., 5—13. 

7. Exod. i., 22. 8. Exod. ii., 2. 

9. Exod. ii, 2. 10. Acts, vii., 20. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 238 

ing the predicted bondage of his brethren, and their 
promised deliverance fromthehand of their oppressors 
which they had sedulously preserved in their own re- 
membrance. As evidence of this fact, and that Moses 
had a perfect understanding of this prophecy before it 
was fulfilled, and of the part that he was to act as 
God's agent in its accomplishment, appears from the 
lesson which he supposed his brethren would have in- 
ferred from this avenging the wrongs of an injured 
brother, by slaying its author : and that was, that '•'by 
his hand God would deliver them. But they under- 
stood not." l So of the 70 years' predicted captivity 
of Judah. It commenced in judgment : it ended in 
mercy. The apostacy of Judah, against which they 
had long been warned by the prophetic voice, had ul- 
timated in a long and painful exile from their own 
land and kingdom, in which exile many of the pious 
and faithful were participants. Of this number Daniel 
was one. But, while judgment was executing its 
work on the apostate, mercy supported the otherwise 
sinking spirits of the faithful, by holding up to their 
view the heart-cheering promise of their restoration 
at a limited period. " When 70 years are accom- 
plished, saith the Lord, I will punish the king of Ba- 
bylon and that nation for their iniquity, and the land 
of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desola- 
tions." 2 Accordingly it is written, "In the first year 
of Darius, I Daniel, understood by books the num- 
ber of years whereof the word of the Lord came to 



1. Acts vii.. 25. & Jer, xxv.. 12, 



284 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 
years in the desolations of Jerusalem." l 

And now, Daniel, thus faithful in watching for"the 
consummation of the 70 years captivity, is himself en- 
dowed with the prophetic Spirit. Then too, more 
ample scope is given to his discernment of the future, 
and the 70 years of Jeremiah is succeeded by another 
and a distinct revelation to Daniel, stretching through 
the longer period of 70 weeks of years. This period, 
as shown in our former Lecture, was divided into 
three unequal parts, the last division of which, consist- 
ing of one or the last of the 70 prophetic weeks, was 
to be signalized by the confirmation of the covenant 
with many, and in the midst of which, " Messiah " 
was to be " cut off." 

Of one event, however, and that am ^st prominent one, 
as comprehended in the prophetic series of Daniel's 70 
weeks, the student of prophecy was left to stand on 
uncertain ground as to tim\ I now speak of the 
period of the Nativity. The pious Jew, casting his 
eye over the prophetic word, could tell when the Mes- 
siah that was to come, should be " cut off," &c, com- 
mencing his reckoning of the whole period of the 70 
weeks from the command to restore and build Jerusa- 
lem. But the specific age of the Immaculate sufferer 
at the time of his crucifixion was not revealed. The 
time of Christ's Nativity therefore was left to con- 
jecture. Still there was one circumstance upon which 
the patient-waiting and praying expectants of the First 



1. Dan. ix. ; 2. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES. &C. 285 

advent of the Redeemer could rely with no small de- 
gree of safety. That was, the period of life at which 
commenced the exercise of the sacerdotal functions by 
the Aaronic priesthood, which varied from 25 to 30 
years. 1 By deducting, say, the 30 years therefore? 
from the middle of the last prophetic week, it was 
sufficient to place them on the watch-tower, in their 
expectations of the appearance of Him whom they 
knew was to be "a High-Priest of good things to 
come," 2 on the ground that, as 6i every High-Priest n 
under the law was " ordained to offer gifts and sacri- 
fices, it was of necessity that this man have some- 
what also to offer." 3 

In order therefore to inscribe this sentiment the 
more indelibly upon the mind, and keeping in view 
the great, the all-pervading principle of Analogy by 
way of a further illustration of the last named pro- 
phecy, and of the principle for which we are contend- 
ing, allow me once more to remark, that, in the dis- 
pensations of God to man both in the natural and 
moral world, portentous events have been and are, 
ordinarily accompanied with corresponding premon- 
itory signs of their approach. The noiseless collect- 
ing together of the lowering clouds and the black- 
ness of the heavens, awaken within the breast the 
dread apprehension of some fearful convulsion o( 
nature. The experienced mariner looks upon the 
temporary repose of sleeping billows as an unfailing 



1. Compare Num. iv. ; i>. with viii.. 84. 
2. Heb.ix., 11. 3. Heb. viii., 3. 



286 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

prelude to a gathering storm. Long continued sub- 
mission to the oppressions of despotic power, ad- 
monish those who "bear rule," to anticipats with cer- 
tainty the ultimate and more fearful desolations of 
political ruptures. And in the moral world, the 
death-like calm which accompanies the long pro- 
tracted reign of ignorance and vice over the heart and 
conscience, may be relied upon as the infallible pre- 
cursor of some eventful change. Thus, we say, it 
was, in reference, 

I. To THE FIRST ADVENT OF MESSIAH J to a 

consideration of which, in connexion with the preced- 
ing, we now invite your attention. The Chapter of 
the world's history in a moral sense, receives from 
this period the evidence, that, till now, it had been 
comparatively virtuous. In defiance of the otherwise 
salutary influence of civilization and refinement, the 
mighty republic of Rome, a little previous to the 
first advent of Jesus Christ, was overhelmed with 
the grossest ignorance, the most degrading supersti- 
tions, the most bestial idolatry, and the most debasing 
and horrid crimes. A stupid and licentious paganism 
sat brooding over the entire civilized world, and all, 
except a few of the devout remnant of Israel, seemed 
pleased with the delusive fetters which bound them. 
And though in Ancient Greece and Rome, learning 
and the arts attained to the zenith of their glory, and 
the various systems of philosophy had the advantages 
of improvements by rejecting some of the grossest and 
most palpable errors of the past, yet all attempts at 
reformation among the commonalty proved abortive. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 287 

And then, in addition to this, the civil aspect of the 
world presented a state of things to human view the 
most astonishing. The political atmosphere of the 
far spreading heavens had retired to repose. The 
clash of arms and the din of war had ceased. Rome, 
the proud Empress of the civilized nations, distributed 
without partiality, the boon of social intercourse to the 
tributary provinces, which, together with that mighty 
empire, basked in the sunshine of peace and prospei- 
ity. The voice of prophecy had ceased. The 
Shechinah, or manifestation of the divine glory, re- 
mained no longer curtained beneath the spreading 
wings of the Cherubim in the Holy of Holies. " The 
lively oracles of God," though possessed by the Jews, 
by misinterpretations founded upon " the traditions of 
the elders," lost all their force and power ; while their 
morals as a nation were as corrupted and debased, as 
were those of the licentious heathen. These then, 
were among the most portentous signs of the times. 
which immediately preceded the " manifestation 
of God in the flesh : " And, to a reflecting mind, 
guided by the light of revelation, they were calculated 
to inspire fresh hopes of the near approach of the 
Prince Messiah. They intimated to such, in a man- 
ner not to be misunderstood, the necessity of the 
appearance of such a divine personage, who alone 
could bring " life and immortality to light" This 
however, was not the common expectation. All wore 
standing aghast as it were, waiting in breathless 
anxiety for the occurrence of some mighty revolution 
among the nations of the earth, the nature of which 



288 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

however, they did not understand. True, the Jews 
had their eyes directed to the fulfilment of what the 
prophets had spoken in reference to their Messiah, 
but being in a great measure ignorant of their true 
import, they united with the fastidious and supersti- 
tious Roman, in consulting " the authority of the 
Sibylline books," and in trusting to " the decision of 
the sacred college of Etrurian augurs," by which they 
unanimously concluded, " that this momentous event 
was at hand. This was equalty the case in the East. 
At that time the Emperor of India, uneasy at these 
prophecies, which, he conceived, portended his ruin 
and the loss of his empire, sent emissaries to inquire 
whether such a child were really bom, in order to 
destroy him." 

What different emotions however, filled the minds 
of those who, from the same important events, were 
looking for spiritual redemption in Israel ? Yes : 
when they saw " these things begin to come to pass," 
they " looked up — they " lifted up their heads '* 
which, from the moral darkness and desolations 
which every where prevailed, had been long hanging 
downward like the bulrush ; for, they saw that their 
" redemption was drawing nigh." " The fulness of 
time," when " the Son of God," " the seed of the wo- 
man," " to whom all the prophets gave witness, 
Should appear, was beginning to dawn upon this 
guilty world. And, among the number of this rem- 
nant band of Jewish worthies in Jerusalem, was the 
aged Simeon. He " was a just man and devout." He 
had long been "waiting for the consolation of Israel." 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 289 

" And to him it was revealed by the Holy Ghost, that 
he should not see death, before he had seen the 
Lord's Christ." 

Thus much in reference to those events which, as 
the " signs of the times," preceded the First Advent 
of the Son of God. 

At this point of our advance, therefore, we would 
remark, that the preceding facts, if they have any 
meaning, certainly demonstrate the error of those who 
affirm that no unfulfilled prophecy can be understood 
till the event to which it refers transpires. Else, what 
had become of Noah and his family ? What of Abra- 
ham and of Lot ? What of the millions of the en- 
slaved Hebrews in Egypt ? What of the pious and 
and faithful captives of Babylon ? What of the aged 
and devout Simeon, and those who with him had 
so long been " looking for redemption in Jerusa- 
lem?" 1 Alas, all must have been cut off from the 
inheritance of those mercies promised to the faith- 
ful of God in all ages, consequent upon a neglect 
to study prophetic " times and seasons " on the one 
hand, and in closing their eyes upon " the signs of the 
times " on the other. For, as you may perceive, the 
prophecies to which we have just adverted partook 
almost without exception, of both these characteristics. 
Was the commencement and termination of the pre- 
dicted destruction of the ante-diluvian world limited 
to 120 years ? The raising of every hand, the hewing 
of every stick of timber, the noise echoing from the 

1. Luke ii., 38. 
25 



290 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

blow of every hammer in the erection of the Noahic 
ark, were u signs," indicating their approaching doom. 
Again, 

The two angelic visitants of Sodom, and the mira- 
culous blindness inflicted upon the marauders of the 
hospitable mansion of Lot, and his warning to his 
sons-in-law immediately upon being informed of the 
Lord's intention to destroy the cities of the plain, all, 
as " signs " of coming wrath, preceded their destruc- 
tion. So also, while the preservation of Moses from a 
watery grave, and his elevation to the court of Egypt 
as the adopted son of the king's daughter, indicated 
his high destination as the deliverer of his brethren 
from the iron grasp of their oppressor; and his slaying 
an Egyptian was designed as th.e first evidence of his 
mission as such to his brethren, at the same time ac- 
quainting them with the now almost total termination 
of their 430 years of affliction and servitude in a 
strange land ; the ten plagues inflicted by the hand of 
Moses upon the infidel and imperious Egyptian king, 
presaged the final overthrow of himself and his army 
in the Red Sea. 

The termination of the 70 years captivity seems to 
have been marked by no particular "signs." That 
period had the awakened vigilance and zeal of a Daniel 
to note, with infallible precision, the lapse of every 
year. But the termination of the 70 weeks of years 
was marked by the most significant " signs." Heaven 
and earth united in filling the moral hemisphere with 
forerunners of the incarnation of the Son of God, 
thereby awaking expectations of an approaching crisis 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 291 

throughout the whole civilized world, both Gentile 
and Jewish. It was, as already stated, a season of 
universal tranquillity. A virgin daughter of Judah, 
according to the prediction of Isaiah, L was found 
with child of the Holy Ghost — a manger in Bethlehem 
of Judea, was the birth-place of the Prince of Peace — 
angels proclaimed to the Judean shepherds the com- 
plete accomplishment of all that the prophets had 
spoken of his incarnation — and a miraculous star had 
piloted the footsteps of the magi of the East to his cra- 
dle to do him homage. 

In the light of truth and fact, therefore, we affirm 
that, so far from any concealment of a knowledge from 
those interested, of time, place, and other circum- 
stances of all the most prominent predictions of the 
Old Testament down to the First Advent of Christ in 
the flesh ; in addition to the specification of dates, 
marking their commencement and termination, are 
also " signs/' appointed as the harbingers of their ap- 
proaching consummation. 

We ask therefore — Why this? It is natural enough 
for one to suppose that, to mark the beginning and 
end of a predicted event by a specific number of years, 
were quite sufficient for all the practical purposes con- 
templated therein. And so it were, did we Christians, 
like the Babylonian captive Daniel, " set our faces 
unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and suppli* 
cations, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes,' 1 to ex- 
amine, that we might understand by boohs, the 

I. Isa. vii., 1 1. 



292 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

number op the years whereof the word of the 
Lord speaks " in the prophecies concerning us. But, 
alas ! alas ! who can contemplate, without the deepest 
emotion, the sad reverse of all this ! Look abroad in 
our churches, and among the religious orders of every 
name throughout Christendom, and, except here and 
therdf, like angel visitants, 

« — f ew and f ar between," 

none are to be found as witnesses for the momentous 
truth; none to assert the weighty and important fact, 
for which we here contend. All voices unite in de- 
nouncing prophetic dates ! All exclaim, what can we 
know of prophecy till it be fulfilled ? 

And now, in reply, we would not dip our pen in 
wormwood and gall. No ; we would temper the al- 
ways painful task of " reproof and rebuke " of the sin 
of omission in these premises, " with meekness, and 
long-suffering, and patience ; n and if we have drawn 
the picture of this sin in strong and vivid colors, it is 
that we may the more effectually aggrandise the bound- 
less goodness of God in adding to prophetic dates pro- 
phetic "signs" Here, then, we exclaim, O love of 
God surpassing thought ! The professed followers of 
Jesus, for the most part ignorant of the commence- 
ment and termination of prophetic times by a wilful 
neglect to consult the great scriptural chronometer 
which God has given them ; yea, even denying the 
fact that such scriptural chronometer for the measure- 
ment of " times and seasons " has been given ; re- 
ceiving, nevertheless, through the Divine goodness, 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 293 

the iuterposition of a double warning, by the institu- 
tion of "signs," both in the natural and moral hea- 
vens, to the intent that the latter, supplying, so to 
speak, the purposes of the former, may rescue them 
from those otherwise forgotten judgments, now nigh at 
hand ! 

" for such love let rocks and hills, 
Their lasting silence break ; 
And all harmonious human tongues, 
The Savior's praises speak." 

Yes ; in this act of the Divine goodness, it may be 
truly said, 

" God only knows the love of God ! " 

Once more. If we take a view of the prophecies as 
connected with the doctrines which we inculcate, we 
cannot but perceive the harmony existing between them 
and the doctrinal features of Christianity. Does eveiy 
prediction, as we have said, comprehend within it- 
self the double characteristic of judgment and of 
mercy ? Does it consequently proclaim alike to all 
the voice of warning and of promise ? So we say 
of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. It comprehends 
the twofold doctrine of judgment and mercy. It un- 
folds a merciful doctrine of divine grace — "He that 
believeth and is baptized, shall be saved" It unfolds 
also a gracious doctrine of divine justice, " He that 
believeth not shall be damnedP l In view, therefore, 
of this sacred affiance between the Gospel and the 
Prophets, may we not demand, " What God hath thus 

1. Mark xvi., 11. 
25 # 



294 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

joined together, let no man put asunder ? " l To con- 
clude therefore this branch of our subject. To my 
mind, as well may we hope to reap the mercies, and 
escape the judgments of the prophecies, though we 
wilfully close our eyes against both the sacred chrono- 
meter of prophecy, and the "signs of the times" which 
accompany them, as to hope for salvation through the 
Gospel, though we wilfully close our eyes against its 
invitations and its warnings. 

These, and the like considerations, which, but for 
want of time, might be profitably extended, we would 
offer to your unbiassed and serious attention ; while, 
by your further indulgence, we now proceed to apply 
prophetic "signs" to the present and the future. 
Yes, concerning these, we now say to you, " Ye can 
discern the face of the sky ; but can ye not discern 
the signs of the times ? M For, H when these things 
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your 
heads, for your redemption draweth nighP 

On entering, however, on this department of our 
Lecture, I would make the language of the distin- 
guished Baxter mine, who, whenever he entered the 
pulpit used to say, 

" I preach as if I ne'er should preach again, 
And like a dying man to dying men." 

Our subject is one of momentous interest. Our re- 
lation to it is one of common concern, which if we 
would, we cannot evade. It must prove to us a bea- 



1. Matt, six., 6. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 295 

con-light, to pilot our trembling bark into the blest 
haven of millenial repose ; or it will be as " a mill- 
stone " l about our necks, to plunge us in the lowest 
depths of God's coming judgments. If of any sub- 
ject in the whole compass of God's revelation to man 
it may be said, that it will prove a " savour of life unto 
life, or of death unto death," 2 it is this. Yes, the pre- 
sent " signs of the times," considered in the light of 
evidences of the fulfilment of prophecy, both present 
and future, may be viewed as the last call, the last 
act, the last stoop of God's long-slighted, long- 
abused mercy to the guilty nations of men. These 
" signs," therefore unheeded, till amid the darkening 
of the heavens by the sudden uprising of the cloudy 
pillar of God's wrath, they are for ever closed to our 
view ; and amid the clashing artillery of heaven the 
voice of mercy can no longer be heard, and we are 
lost, lost for ever ! O then, 

" Awake — again the Gospel trump is blown, 
From year to year it swells with louder tone ; 
From year to year the signs of wrath 
Are gathering round the Judge's path ; 
Strange words fulfill'd, and mighty works achieved, 
And truth in all the world, both hated and believed." 

It is due to that portion of the subject on which we 
are now about to enter, to remark, first, that the pro- 
phetic expositor will be called to encounter difficulties 
which, in comparison with the preceding, are neither 
few nor small. At least, (and this is what we mean 

1. Matt, xviii., G. & SI Cor. ii., 14. 



296 SIGNS OP THE TIMES, &C. 

to say) our hearers will award to us the mede of mo- 
desty in this department of our work, in proportion as 
the execution of it is free from apparent presumption. 
This is all we ask — this is " even-handed justice." 
We have admonished them against incredulousness of 
the Divine power to perform all that God hath spoken 
by the mouth of his holy prophets — also against that 
spirit of idle curiosity which seeks to know more than 
God has revealed. It is right, therefore, that they 
should sit as our Judges, in deciding upon the proper 
use or abuse of Holy Scripture by us, as the mouth- 
piece of God to them. 

This premised, we observe that natural signs, from 
their repetition, may be, and are unhesitatingly receiv* 
ed as the unerring precursers of ordinary events. For 
instance : — The fading leaf — the falling foliage of the 
forest — the hoary frosts and bleak winds, admonish us 
of the departing glories of summer. But, when to the 
"signs" in the natural phenomena of the earth and 
the heavens, and also of other surrounding objects, 
there is attached a symbolic and prophetic significa- 
tion ; and when our knowledge of their full import, 
and especially of the precise periods of the world to 
which they refer, is indispensable to a right applica- 
tion of them, we are called to encounter difficulties in 
the department of prophetic exposition of which the 
novice is little aware. In this aspect of the subject it 
will not be thought strange if we speak less confidently 
of the present " signs of the times " in their bearing 
upon the future, than we have the past. But of this, 
as we have said, our audience is our umpire. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 297 

First, then, before we can apply^ we must define 
those prophetic symbols denoted by the surrounding 
objects of nature, and of the phenomena of the earth 
and the heavens with which the Scriptures abound, 
confining ourselves, however, for want of time, to 
those which immediately concern us. 

Says our Savior, " when these things (signs) begin 
to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads, 
for your redemption draweth nigh." What things ? 
What signs ? Of these there are two classes, and 
they relate (as we shall prove) to two separate and 
distinct prophetic periods, to each of which are affixed 
appropriate " signs." Of the first class the events 
predicted, and their respective signs, are as follows : — 

1. Great persecution, betrayment, and hatred to- 
ward all, and death to some of the disciples. The 
" signs " here were the agents at whose hands they 
were thus to suffer, viz., " parents, and brethren, and 
kinsfolks, and friends." l 

2. The next predicted event of this class is, the 
destruction or "desolation" of Jerusalem, as the just 
judgment of God upon the Jewish nation for their re- 
jection of the Messiah, and their continued persecution 
and murder of his followers. Its inhabitants, the Jews, 
were either to fall by the edge of the sword, or to be 
led captive into all nations ; while, of all the splendor, 
magnificence, and extent of the buildings of the Holy 
City, not one stone should be left upon another, that 
should not be thrown down. 2 The "signs" to pre- 



1. Luke xxi. 1*2— 1G. 0. Luke xxi. 20, 24 ; and Matt xxiv. 1; 9t 



298 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

cede these events were, the appearance of false Christs 
— wars and commotions — struggles for national pre- 
eminence — great and divers earthquakes, famines, and 
pestilences — fearful sights and great signs from hea- 
ven — and, the surrounding of the city of Jerusalem 
with the Roman army. 

The second class embraces two predictions, viz, 
first, the protracted captivity and treading down of the 
Jewish nation and polity by the Gentiles, until the 
tiipes of the Gentiles be fulfilled ; and second, the ap- 
pearance of the Son of Man in a cloud, with power 
and great glory. l The end, therefore, of the captivity 
and degradation of God's ancient covenant people, and 
the consummation of the Gentile economy, are to ter- 
minate simultaneously. Before, then, we enumerate 
th;^ " Signs 77 which belong to this prediction, allow me 
to recall to your minds the following observation al- 
ready made respecting them, viz, that they are de- 
signed, in the wisdom of God, to herald the fulfilment 
of predicted events, as near at hand. Now, connected 
with, and as immediately preceding the fulfilment of 
the above prophecy, are to be seen " signs in the sun, 
and in the moon, and in the stars ; and upon the 
earth, distress of nations with perplexity ; the sea and 
the waves roaring ; men's hearts failing them for fear, 
and for looking after those things which are coming 
on the earth f together with the shaking of the powers 
of heaven. 

We now remark that, in order to a proper under- 

1. Luke xxi. 24, 27. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 299 

standingand application of these "Signs," and theevents 
to which they respectively refer, it will be necessary 
to discriminate between what of them are symbolical, 
and what are not. If, for instance, a "Sign," as an 
earthquake, famine, or pestilence, literally precedes the 
predicted event to which it belongs, it is not symboli- 
cal. Hence it is divested of all ambiguity, and conse- 
quently of uncertainty, as to its right application. 
This then we say, and as all authentic history ', Jewish 
and Christian abundantly attest, was strictly true of all 
those " Signs," which belong to the above first class 
of predicted events. 

Of the second class of predictions, however, the ac- 
companying " Signs" are strictly Symbolical. Strictly, 
we say, though not exclusively. Literality, as we 
shall prove, is not necessarily excluded from the office- 
work of a prophetic symbol. Nor is a strictly literal 
" Sign" any more than the event to which it refers, 
necessarily exclusive of a typical aspect. Indeed, if 
the event be typical, the " Sign" is typical also. This 
premised we remark, that the prophetic " Signs" or 
symbols now to be defined, are the following, — viz, 
the sun, the moon, and the stars, the earth, the sea, 
and the waves, heaven, &c. 

Now, the commonly received interpretation of the 
above symbols, and that which may be relied on, is as 
follows — the sun, moon, and stars, represent secular 
and ecclesiastical authorities. By the "Signs" they 
shall exhibit are to be understood the changes through 
which they are to pass. "The sea and the waves 
roaring, 1 ' are emblems of a disturbed and angry mul- 



300 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

titude ; and "the shaking of the powers of heaven" 
(i. e. the sun, moon, and stars, the principalities and 
powers aforesaid,) signifies great revolutions in human 
governments, accompanied by the overthrow of long- 
continued establishments and venerable institutions. 
Taken together, therefore, and recollecting that this is 
the sublime language of Christ himself, we are fur- 
nished with a prediction which speaks of the most 
fearful commotions in the national, political, ecclesias- 
tical, and religious orders of society ; yea, of universal 
agitation and unexpected changes,which are to spread 
their disorganizing influence among all ranks of men. 
But, before we can expect that this representation 
will produce the wished-for conviction upon your 
minds, we must adduce scriptural precedent, if any 
there be, authorising the use, as above, of these objects 
of nature. Look back then, upon the great week of 
creation, when God said, " let there be lights (the sum 
the moon, and the stars) in the firmament of heaven." 
Now, to what end were they ordained? Answer. 
" To divide the day from the night," and to serve "for 
seasons, and for days, and for years," not only, but 
also for " Signs :" — Yes, for " Signs ! " But in what 
way were they thus used ? In illustration, we refer 
you to Joseph's dream, as recorded in the xxxviith 
Chapter of Genesis, and 9th and 10th verses. " And 
he dreamed yet another dream — Behold, the sun, 
and the moon, and the eleven stars, made obeisance 
to me." This dream, when made known to his 
venerable and pious father, brought upon Joseph the 
following patriarchal rebuke. " What is this dream 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 301 

that thou hast dreamed ? Shall /, and thy mother, 
and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves 
to thee, to the earth ? w The directness and appro- 
priateness of the application of the dream, furnish 
ample evidence how familiarly associated these celes- 
tial objects of nature were in the mind of the patriarch 
with their appointed use as " signs." This, however, 
may not appear so obvious to us. It is needful there- 
fore that we inquire into the symbolic import of the 
sun, moon, and stars, as applied to Joseph's father, 
mother, and brethren, in this dream. In order to this, 
we remark, 

1. That the sun, moon, and stars, being different 
symbols, must apply to different persons. Happily, 
of this application there is no difficulty, as will appear 
from the following paraphrase of the patriarch's re- 
buke to his dreaming son. " Shall I," the sun? and 
thy mother," the moon, "and thy brethren," who, 
being eleven in number, are the eleven stars, " indeed 
come to bow down ourselves to thee, to the earth ? " 
This ascertained, and we remark, 

2. That the symbolic import of the sun, moon, and 
stars, is to be determined from the grades of superior- 
ity and subordination peculiar to the patriarchal fam- 
ily compact. To this end, you have only to seat your- 
self in the centre of the tented circle of the patriarch 
Jacob's family in Canaan. In the exercise of his otli- 
cial functions, what do you discover to be the attributes 
of Jacob? Certainly, that, as head of the patriarchal 
family, he is the source of all author it;/: consequently 
that he is the Ruler, exercising the two-fold functions 

26 



302 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

of king and of priest. What of the patriarchal 
mother ? Why, that she exercises a delegated au- 
thority over her children. What of the children 
of the patriarch ? Why, that they are subordinate to 
the commands of parental authority. 

But, these several divisions of the patriarchal com- 
pact, served but as types of better things to come. 
Jacob therefore, in his kingly and priestly character, 
pointed to Christ, who, as king, is the source of all 
authority and power, both in earth and heaven. " The 
powers that be," whether civil or ecclesiastical, " are 
ordained of him." 1 " By him kings rule, and princes 
decree justice." 2 Monarchs, nobles, and statesmen, 
"are his ministers, responsible to him for their exer- 
cise of his delegated authority. Constituted, estab- 
lished authority, is an ordinance of God in Christ, 
whether wielded according to the will of one man, or 
according to law, which is the result of the combined 
wisdom of many men. What ever has power to con- 
trol, power to command, power to exact obedience on 
earth, — to restrain offenders, — to take the position 
and aspect of God towards those below, is of Christ." 3 
And as of civil, so of ecclesiastical power. Christ's 
declaration to his apostles was, " As my Father hath 
sent me, even so send I you." 4 As Priest, Christ in 
structs, and offers atonement for, his family, " his body, 
the church." He is "the sun of righteousness," 5 her 
"Sun "her "Shield." 6 



1. Rom. xiii, 1. 2. Prov. viii. 15. 

3. McNeil. Sec. Adv. p. 52. 4. John xx, 21. 
5. Mal.iv, 2. 6. Ps. lxxxiv. 11. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 303 

The mother of the patriarchal family, typified 
" the Church of the living God. " The light which 
she enjoyed, — the authority she exercised, was not 
hers by inherent right. She derived it by delegation 
from her patriarchal head. So the Church fromCHRisT. 
— he her "head? her " glory ," her " light 9 n x — She 
th3 witness of that headship, light, and glory, till her 
now absent Lord's return. 2 

The eleven sons of Jacob were the types of the 
ministry of the church. 

Turn we now to the symbols by which these are 
represented, in the dream of Joseph. The sun, which 
is the fountain of life to the natural world, by the 
glory and splendor of his career as king of day, when 
viewed as a " Sign," is designed to denote " the powers 
which be? whether under one dispensation or another, 
whether civil or ecclesiastical. " The moon is a wit- 
ness for the sun, shining with a light that is not her 
own ; shedding -much lustre indeed, but only by re- 
flection, having received it from him, that she may 
bear witness for him during his absence. In this the 
moon is a " Sign" of the Church of God." 3 The 
eleven stars symbolize the ministry of the Church. 
In the book of Revelation it is thus written — " The 
mystery of the seven stars which thou saw est in my 
right hand, — are the angels (or messengers, or minis- 
ters) of the seven churches." 4 



1. 1 Cor. xi., 3 ; Eph. v., 23 ; Col. ii., 10; Isa. lx., 19 ; 1 John, i. 
5; Luke ii., 32; John i., 1). 

2. Acts x., 43 j xiiL 30—3-3. 3. McNeil. Sec. Adv. p. 53. 
4. Rev. i., 90, 



304 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

Of the other prophetic symbols, that of the earth 
denotes the territories which were the seat of the four 
great empires, pourtrayed in the vision of the golden 
image of Nebuchadnezzar, as interpreted by Daniel. l 
Heaven is the political and ecclesiastical firmament, so 
to speak, in which the above symbolical planets appear, 
and to which reference is made in the expression, " yet 
once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven." 2 
And the sea and the waves symbolize multitudes of 
people, etc. Hence the prophet Jeremiah, in speaking 
of the invasion of Babylon by the Medes and Persians^ 
says, " The sea is come up on Babylon ; she is cov- 
ered with the multitude of the waves thereof." 3 So 
the prophet Isaiah. " Woe to the multitude of many 
people, which make a noise like the noise of the seas ; 
and to the rushing of nations, that makes a rushing 
like the rushing of many waters" 4 And in the Reve- 
lation it is said, " The waters which thou sawest 
where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes 
and nations, and tongues" 5 

With deference therefore I submit, whether the com- 
monly received interpretation of the above symbols as 
used by Christy may not be relied on. 

This determined, it now remains to assign to these 
significant " Signs," their relative position in prophecy. 
Are they the harbingers of events that are past ? or 
are they the heralds of events that are noiv transpiring 



1. Dan. ii., 31—45; Rev. 6. 8. 2. Heb. xii., 26. 
3. Jer. li.,42. 4. Isa. xvli., 12. 

5. Rev. xvii. 15. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 305 

and are about soon to transpire ? If the harbingers of 
t\ie past, then they are of no interest to us, except as 
mere matter of history. But if the heralds of the 
present and the future ; if they signify that the most 
portentous of the remaining few events which are to 
complete the prophetic drama are now in course of 
fulfilment ; and that many, if not most of those who 
now hear me, may live to witness the pouring out of 
the last vial ot God's wrath upon the ungodly, and to 
hear the long and the loud blasts of the last prophetic 
trump ; — O, what mind can conceive, what tongue can 
pourtray,the height, and depth, and length, and breadth, 
of our interest in them, and of our responsibility in 
relation to them ! And, we now remark, that, in our 
view, they can be applied in no sense, except to the 
present and the future. With the past, they have 
nothing to do, except that, as symbolizing the events 
which were to close up the Gentile economy, they 
were announced by Christ more than 1800 years n^o. 
But, to this it is objected, that the passage, " Verily 
I say unto you, this generation shall not pass till all 
these things be fulfilled," l is fatal to such a conclu- 
sion ; this passage being quoted as parallel to the fol- 
lowing: " there be some standing here which shall 
not taste of death, until they see the Son of Man 
coming in his kingdom." 2 In answer,* we admit 
that this latter passage has reference to the term of 
life of those to whom Christ spake. And, if the his- 
toric dates of three of the Gospels, viz, those of St. 

1. Matt. xxiv. 34. 3. Malt, xvi. 28, 

26* 



306 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke may be relied on, it was 
literally verified to them all on the sixth, or as St. 
Luke has it, about eight days after; when, on the 
Mount of Transfiguration, they beheld Christ in his 
glorified body, with Moses as the representative of the 
raised, and Elias those of the translated Saints, who 
are to constitute the copartners of his throne, while 
themselves were the pattern of the subordinate sub- 
jects of that kingdom of which this was the manifested 
shadow. But the former passage we affirm, is not 
thus restricted. The words translated " this genera- 
tion" rj yt nea uvtf^ — (e gene a aute, — ) must be un- 
derstood to signify, this race of men. " Our Lord 
Jesus never uses the word generation to signify the 
term of man's life ; but commonly to express the pe- 
culiar character of the nation or people to whom he 
applies it. — e. g., "a sinful generation" — " a faithless 
and perverse generation" 1 — u a righteous generation," a 
&e. This sense is confirmed by the last verse of the 
23rd chapter of St. Mark's gospel. " Behold, your 
house is left unto you desolate : for I say unto you, ye 
shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed 
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Now, 
this declaration, as it is evident that that generation of 
Jews to whom it was made, continued to reject the 
Messiah till the last, evidently speaks of that prolonged 



1. Matt, xviii., 1—9; Mark ix., 1—10; Luke ix. 27—36. 

2. Brook's Essay, part 2nd., p. 17 aud note. See Matt, xii., 39; 
xyiii., 17; Mark vii. 38. 

3. See Ps. xiv., 5 ; xxiv., 6 ; Ixxiii. 15. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 397 

national desolation which was only to terminate at 
the Second Advent. 

Bat it is again objected, that the passage, u then 
shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the 
beginning of time, no, nor ever shall be" l confines 
the application of all the "signs" enumerated, to the 
destruction of Jerusalem. To this however, it may 
be replied, that, admitting to the fullest extent all that 
can be claimed for the horrible calamities attendant 
upon the siege of Jerusalem by the Roman army, yet 
it cannot be viewed as "without a parallel. The tri- 
bulation at the former siege of Jerusa em was very 
similar in this respect " 2 to the second. For, during 
the siege under Titus, were women led by hunger to 
devour their own children ? So, of the Chaldean be- 
siegement the prophet Jeremiah says, " ' and I will 
cause them to eat the flesh of their sons and the flesh 
of their daughters, and they shall eat every one the 
flesh of his friend in the siege and straitness, where- 
with their enemies and they that seek their life shall 
straiten them." 3 And afterwards, in his lamentations 
over the destruction of the city, he shews that these 
things were actually fulfilled : — " Behold, O Lord, 
and consider to whom thou hast done this. Shall the 
women eat their fruit and children of a span long? " 
— "The hands of the pitiful women hare sodden 
their own children ; they were their meat m the de- 
struction of the daughter of my people." 4 

1. Matt. xxiv. 21; Mark xiii. 10. 

2. Brook' Ess. Part. 2nd p. 13. 3. Jer. xix.. S. fc 

4. Brook's Ess. Part 2nd p. 13, 14. Lam. ii.. 90; i\\, HI 



308 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

But again. Those commentators who confine the 
a" ove " signs" to the tribulation of Jerusalem, admit 
that " the time of trouble" spoken of by Daniel, Chap, 
xii., I, 2, is yet future. " But, there is a rema k tble 
notification attached to each of these passages, by 
means of which both periods of trouble may be clearly 
( emonstrated to be connected together. Daniel says, 
" there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was 
since there vjas a nation to that same time" St, 
Matthew, that it is " such as was not since the be- 
ginning of the world to this time" — And then adds, 
- " no, nor ever shall be." Thus in both places 
the tribulation is described as unprecedented ; but in 
Matthew it is stated besides, that the one referred to 
by him shall never subsequently have a parallel. 
How then, I ask, can the tribulation in Daniel follow 
that in Matthew ? " l 

Finally, regarding this "tribulation" we remark, 
that it was to be perpetuated through a long and 
dreary night of painful captivity and degradation to 
he Jewish people, under the dominance of the gen- 
tiles. Says the Savior, they " shall be led away 
captive into all nations : and Jerusalem shall be 
trodden down of the gentiles, until the times of the 
gentiles be fulfilled" 2 

The phrase, " times of the gentiles," we remark, 
properly comprehends the whole period of Jewish 
tribulation under both captivities, during the domin- 
ance of the four gentile monarchies. 1st. The Ba- 

1. Brook's Ess. Part 2nd p. 12, 13. 2. Luke xxi. 24. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 309 

bylonian, 1 — 2nd. the Medo-Persian, 2 — 3rd. the 
Grecian, 3 and 4th the Roman* In the xxvith 
Chapter of Leviticus, verses 18, 21, 24, and 28, it is 
predicted that the Jewish nation shall be " chastened 
seven times, or sevenfold, for their sins. The fre- 
quent repetition of seven times, or sevenfold, con- 
nected with their lengthened suffering under the 
gentile monarchies, seems to point out a special de- 
sign, and may intimate the length of time which 
these chastisements should last ; " 5 which, if inter- 
preted as we do the times in Daniel, amount to a pe- 
riod of 2520 years. This period is again brought to 
view, as typified in the seven times which passed 
over Nebuchadnezzar. 

Additional confirmation of this view of the pro- 
longed tribulation of the Jews may be collected from 
the fact, that the prophet Daniel predicts the same 
coming of the son of man in the clouds of heaven at 
the termination of their troubles, as does St. Luke, as 
will appear by comparing Dan. vii., 13, 22, with St. 
Luke xxi., 27. Finally, Daniel, in the ixth chapter 
of his book, closes his predicted events of the 70 
weeks, with an allusion to "an indefinite period," 
v. 26, " the events of which are, the destruction of the 
city and temple by the Romans, and the Jewish </■ - 
solation" all of which are explained by the prophecies 
and their accompanying signs, now under consider*- 



1. Dan. ii., 32 — 38. & Dan. ii., 38 : v. 96 — OS. 

3. Dan. viii. 20/21. See 2 Maeeah.ii. 1 — -1. 1. John xi.48; xix., 15. 

5. BickcLstoth's guide, p. 135. 



310 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

tion. All those events predicted by Christ. Lnke xxi., 
8 — 24, except the domination of the gentiles over 
the Jews spoken of in the last clause of the last men- 
tioned verse, received their complete and literal fulfil- 
ment in the destruction of Jerusalem, and the 
attendant captivity of the Jewish nation. And we 
now remark, that that captivity has continued from 
the year 70 of our Lord, down to this very hour, first 
under the Romans, then under the Saracens, then 
under the Turks, and now under the Egyptians. 
Yes, these gentile nations, have, one after another, 
held the holy city in a degrading bondage : but, mark 
the language ; " Jerusalem shall be trodden down of 
the gentiles, UNTIL the times of the gentiles be 

FULFILLED." 

Is it now asked, when will this be ? When will 
gentile domination, still lifting its iron sceptre in 
shouts of lofty defiance over the ancient heritage of 
the Lord, and their long-protracted tribulation ter- 
minate? I answer, at the end of the 2300 prophetic 
days of the viiith chapter and 14th verse ol Daniel, 
which, in our previous Lecture, we demonstrated fa s 
in with the year of our Lord, 1847 ! 

To this period, we now renewedly affirm, in con- 
nexion with the point of time on which we now stand, 
all the " signs " mentioned in the three verses imme- 
diately preceding our text, belong. " And there shall 
be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the 
stars : and upon the earth distress of nations^ with 
perplexity ; the sea and the loaves roaring : mevUs 
hearts jailing them for fear, and for looking after 



SIGNS OP THE TIMES, &C. 311 

those things vihich are coming on the earth : for the 
powers of heaven shall be shaken" 

Here it is perhaps due to myself to remark, th$t 
possibly my audience and I are quite at issue as to 
the mode which 1 have adopted in conducting the ex- 
position of this subject. But I respectfully ask, of 
what avail is it to write, or talk, or preach about 
"Signs" unless we can demonstrate them to have 
been appointed of God for certain wise, and holy, 
and gracious ends? And even this done, of what 
avail is it, comparatively, that in ages past, the 
heaven of providence has been studded with " Signs " 
multitudinous as yon twinkling stars ? I say, com- 
paratively — for, having accomplished the purposes of 
their appointment, they are of interest to us simply 
as matter of history. No. I should consider it alike 
unworthy your intelligence or patient attention, to 
address you even for ten minutes in a Lecture on 
" the signs of the times" unless I could demonstrate 
that you, and I, yea, and all the world, even the 
people, and kindreds, and tongues, and nations of 
every clime, had an interest in them. No, nor even 
then, comparatively, unless I could equally demon- 
strate, that one and all had an interest in them NOW! 
And I now confess to you, that, if in this stage of our 
advance, I have foiled in producing in your minds a 
conviction of this momentous truth, then has my 
labor indeed been vain. But, this end attained, and I 
am assured of your entire satisfaction with the very 
brief remarks which are now to accompany the pre- 



312 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

sent " Signs of the times," with a recapitulation of 
which, our Lecture will close. 

How lamentable the reflection, that the prophetic 
book of Isaiah opens with the following solemn ap- 
peal, wrung from his reluctant lips, against the people 
of his nation. " Hear, O heaven, and give ear, O 
earth, for the Lord hath spoken — Israel doth not know, 
my people doth not consider. Ah sinful nation, a 
people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, chil- 
dren that are corrupters ! They have forsaken the 
Lord, they have provoked the holy one of Israel to 
anger, they are gone away backward !" 1 Christian 
friends, do any of you know this picture ? Ah, 

" What are heaven's alarms to hearts that can cower 



In wilful slumber deepening every hour, 

That draw the curtains closer round, 

The nearer swells the Trumpet's sound, 
Lord, e'er our trembling souls sink down and die, 
Teach us with chastening hand, and make us feel thee nigh." 

Brethren and hearers, as Moses with Jeshurun, who 
11 forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed 
the rock of his salvation," so would we expostulate 
with all such in this day. " O that they were wise, 
that they understood this, that they would consider 
their latter end !" 2 

To give a proper direction to our meditations on 
the present " Signs of the times," the first which 
we shall mention, is, 

1. Isa. i., 3, 4. t 2. Deut. xxxii. 32—39. 



SIGNS OP THE TIMES, &C. 313 

1. The prevalent disinclination of Christian pro- 
fessors and others, to think of or to study the sub- 
jects of unfulfilled Scripture prophecy. Now this 
" Sign," we affira, answers to that state of apostacy 
throughout the Christian world, predicted in that fear- 
ful interrogation of Christ, " When the Son of Man 
cometh, shall he find faith on the earth ?" l That 
our blessed Lord in this passage speaks of his Second 
Advent, none will deny. That he speaks of & personal 
and not a spiritual advent merely, is evident from the 
fact, that he has never yet been spiritually absent from 
the Church. In this last sense the promise was given, 
" Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the 
world." 2 And, that this second advent is to be pre-mil- 
lenial, is equally evident, as will appear from the pas- 
sage, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate, and 
ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, bless- 
ed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Now, 
this cannot refer to the First advent. That had taken 
place already. The word " cometh" in this passage, 
(iigxApsvogf) may be rendered, " that is about to 
come" 3 Nor can it refer to the shouts of the multi- 
tude upon Christ's triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. 
That event took place before the utterance of this pre- 
ciction. 4 No — the time here referred to is the end of 
ihe Jewish tribulation, and of the treading down of 
Jerusalem by the Gentiles : or, in other words, to the 



1. Luke xviii. 8. 
2. Matt, xxviii., 20. 3. Ramsey on the see. com. p, 96. 

4. Compare Matt. xxi. 1— 9, with xxiii. 39. 

27 



314 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

restoration of the Jews to their own land. Then, 
"the feet of the Lord shall stand upon the Mount of 
Olives" 1 at which time "the spirit of grace and of 
supplications shall he poured out upon them ; and 
looking upon him whom they have pierced, they shall 
mourn" 2 And, me thinks, amid the piercing agonies 
of the conviction that they once, " with wicked hands, 
crucified and slew the Lord of life and glory," 3 and 
the ecstasies arising from a sense of pardoned guilt, 
will exclaim, " Blessed is he that cometh in the name 
of the Lord." 

This, then, we say, is the repudiated faith to which 
the Saviour, speaking of the time immediately pre- 
ceding his second advent, refers. And if the subject 
needs further confirmation, I would refer to Isaiah, 
who, speaking of this very period of the conversion 
and glory of the Jewish nation, says, that immediately 
preceding, " darkness shall cover the earth, and gross 
darkness the people" 4 

Now, look the world over — pry into every nook 
and corner of Christendom — and what proportion of 
it, I ask- are " looking for that blessed hope, the glo- 
rious [Pre-Millenial] appearing of the Great God, even 
our Saviour Jesus Christ?" 5 O, on this subject, I al- 
most tremble to enlarge. Still, you demand evidence. 
Take then the following as an illustration. In this 
great city, which counts its hundreds of Christian 



1. Zech. xiv. 4. 2. Zech. xii. 10. 

3. Acts ii. 23. 4. Isa. lx. 1, 2. 

5. Titus ii. 13, 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 315 

churches, planted in the midst of a population of hun- 
dreds of thousands, there is not one voice regularly 
raised from Sunday to Sunday, to sound the alarm of 
the rapidly-approaching pre-millenial advent of the 
Lord Jesus ! We ask therefore, — Why is it thus ? 
Would it so be, were the people, clerical and lay, dis- 
posed to think of, and to study this subject ? I add no 
more, brethren, on this topic, but to ask, Is this a " sign" 
of these "last times?" What then think ye of it? 
Will you study it ? I add, 

2. Another u Sign " of the times, connected with, 
because growing out of, the preceding. It is this — 
A most melancholy and general decay of vital piety. 
Opposed to the above prevailing disposition of Chris- 
tians in reference to Christ's advent, was the following 
prominent characteristic of the Saints primitively — 
they " loved his appearing" l Yes, they loved to 
hear of it — to talk about it — to pray for it. Hence, 
of them it could in truth be said, "Ye are not of the 
world, even as I am not of the world. If ye were of 
the world, the world would love its own ; but because 
ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of 
the world, therefore the world hateth you." ■ But 
what, I ask, now remains of this distinguishing feature 
of Christianity? What, on the part of professing 
Christians to cling to "the offence of the cross?" 3 
Has not that " offence " long since ceased, j by an un- 

1. 2 Tim. iv. 8. 8. John TV, 1l \ 

3. Gal. v., 11. 4. Gal. v. Li. 



316 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

holy alliance between Christ and Belial, — between 
the church and the world ? 

Brethren, God is my record, I judge no man. l Nor, 
as a Christian minister would I enjoin upon any of 
you either the moroseness of the misanthrope, or the 
monkish austerities of the recluse. Still, the love of 
mammon — the spirit of worldliness — of conformity 
to the world in its maxims and fashions, indicate, to a 
most fearful and appalling extent, the prevalence of 
this unholy alliance ! Yes, the almost universal rage 
for the mere " pomp and outward circumstance" of re- 
ligion, while it proves that we have its "form" it also 
proves that we are destitute of its " power ;" 2 and ver- 
ifies to the letter, the truth of our Lord's words, that 
in the last times, " the love of many should wax cold?* 
Professor of religion, what think ye of this "Sign?" 
Is it shadowed forth in your conduct toward your now 
absent Lord and Master ? 

3. Another " Sign" which is to herald the pre-mil- 
lenial advent of Christ is, an unprecedented preva- 
lence of iniquity. Says our Saviour, " Iniquity shall 
abound? 4 We now speak of that moral turpitude, 
intellectual and practical, which, according to the 
above prediction, is to characterize this age. And, in 
both these respects, we fearlessly challenge the histo- 
rian to designate the period when, the world over, the 
vain imaginations of man approximated nearer to a 
deification of human intellect ; or, when the fiood- 



1. Rom. xiv. 13. 2. 2 Tim. m. 5. 

3. Matt. xxiv. 12. 4. Matt. xxiv. 12. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 317 

gates of iniquity poured from its exhaustlcss reservoir, 
such streams of licentiousness. With what unprece- 
dented and heaven-daring effrontery are the Scriptures 
now rejected, to give place to the giant strides of hu- 
man intellect in this age, signalized as " the march of 
mind," " human progress," &c. " With what impunity 
are the doctrines of the Cross trampled under foot ? 
How is the name of God blasphemed, by the liberal- 
ism, false philosophy, and infidelity of the age !" l 
Nor would I shock your sensibilites by raising the 
curtain, and exhibiting to your view even a moiety of 
the iniquitous practices with which all the larger cities 
of every nation and country abound ! It must now 
suffice that we refer you to the dark catalogue of 
crimes, under the heads of perfidy, and fraud, and ra- 
pine, and murder, and sedition, and universal misrule, 
which darken the columns of every secular print 
throughout our own and every other land. Yes, to 
these faithful chroniclers of crime can I refer you, as 
infallible, though undesigned expositors of the truth 
of this prophetic sign. 

Nor, as comprehended under this sign of the pre- 
valence of iniquity can we confine our remarks to the 
more overt acts of the ungodly. Would that it were 
so ! But, alas, we are compelled, as well from a re- 
gard to truth as to a sense of duty, to bring to view, 
and apply, with all plainness of speech, those features 
of apostacy of these last times, which were to cha- 
racterise Christianity both doctrinal and practical, as 



1. Dis. on the present crisis, p. 10, 

27* 



318 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

brought to view in the following passage of the 
Apostle Paul. 

" This know also, that in the last days perilous 
^times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their 
ownselves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, 
disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without 
natural affection, truce-breakers, false accusers, in- 
continent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 
traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasure 
more than lovers of God ; having a form of god- 
liness, but denying the power thereof ; from such 
turn away? x 

How similar this, to a previous description given 
by the same pen, of the Pagan world ! 2 But, that 
the Apostle in the above passage is speaking of others 
— that by prophetic discernment, he pointed to those 
corrupting and disorganizing influences which were 
to characterize the Christianity and the Church of 
the " last days," is we think evident from the fact that 
the above signs of Apostacy are coupled with " a 
form of godliness." And, how humiliating, how 
painful the reflection, that the two portraits of moral 
corruption and Christian degeneracy as above de- 
picted by St. Paul, should bear so strong a resem- 
blance ! 

Our limits, however, will not admit of an extended 
application of these characteristics; in regard to 
which, as it respects individuals, we are happy to 
say^ there are yet many noble exceptions. No. We 

1, 2 Tim. iii., 1 — 5. 2. Rom. i., 29 — 31. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 119 



speak now in the more enlarged sense, as compre- 
hending the aggregate of those communities, the 
various grades of which form the great mass of so- 
ciety, and in the midst of which those are to be found, 
to whom the above chaiacteristics apply. Of these, 
the Apostle predicts that in the last days they 
shou d be, 

1. " Lovers of their ownselves : " i. e., that they 
should be selfish, a principle directly opposed to that 
exalted grace of charity, so largely treated of in 1 Cor. 
xiii., and which seeks to dispense its benignant smiles 
and extend its open hand to the oppressed and the 
perishing, wherever found : a principle, every ele- 
ment of which, as a late writer has justly remarked, is 
anti-social. " Charity," it is said, seeketh not her 
ownP Now, apply this principle to the great mass 
of those who have "a form of godliness," in their 
practical operations as connected with the com- 
mercial, mercantile, manufacturing, mechanical, and 
even the lower departments of life. Carry it into the 
ranks of the opulent — among the different professions 
— among landlords and tenants. — Now, is it not 
true, and true more especially of these u last days/' 
that in commerce, the large consumer or purchaser 
grinds the manufacturer, who seeks in turn to re- 
imburse himself by reducing the wages of the me- 
chanic, &c, &c, while all the various grades are 
made to writhe under the undeyiating extortion of the 
landlord, till, by the accumulated weight of oppres- 
sion of the higher upon the lower classes, redress is 



320 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

sought in incendiarism or political revolution ? But, 
the Apostle adds, that men should be, 

2. " Covetous" " (pduQyvpoi," literally, lovers of 
money. Hence its affinity with the preceding. Yes, 
selfishness begets covetousness. The cupidity of 
man, the love of ease, luxury, pleasure, power, 
creates an inordinate thirst for gain. Time was, 
when covetousness wore the mask of " sober industry 
and prudence : " not so now. The rage of specula- 
tion, induced by a spirit of " discontent at ordinary 
prosperity," has resulted in a " making haste to get 
rich," so characteristic of the present day. Please 
turn to and read 1 Tim. vi., 9, 10. Are professors of 
religion wholly exempt from this spirit? Are there 
none who, even at the holy altar, seek to make "gain 
of godliness ? " l Men should also be, 

3. "Boasters." — Selfishness and covetousness 
combined, lead to indulgence in self-complacency, 
self-adulation ; and these generate a spirit of " boast- 
ing," the opposite of charity, which " vaunteth not 
itself" Nationally, the " vox Dei" is brought down 
to an equality with, if not indeed made subordinate to, 
the " vox Populi" Do any doubt this ? What then 
the meaning of the following and similar phrases that 
meet the eye at every turn, — and which are common 
alike to the politics, science, and theology of the age? 
u We, the sovereign veople" — " march of mind " — 
" human progress" &c, all of which indicate a for- 

1. Tim. vi., 5. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 321 

getfulness of that Divine power which ruleth over the 
destiny alike of nations and of individuals. Consult 
St. James on this subject. l " All such boasting is 
vain." Passing this, the Apostle says that men 
should be, 

4. " Proud? — The disposition here intended is, 
that of contemning and setting at naught the author- 
ity of God, as illustrated in the following passages — 
Neh. ix. 16 ; Ps. cxix. 21, 51 ; Jer. xliii. 2. As ap- 
plicable to our own times, it is sufficient (though 
equally true of all the commands of God) that we 
instance the present universal desecration of the Sab- 
bath. In view of all the Divine injunctions regard- 
ing holy time, do not the mass with one voice 
exclaim, " who is the Lord, that I should obey 
him 7 " 2 That men should be, 

5. " Blasphemers" is another predicted character- 
istic of the last days. Scriptural Kasphemy " con- 
sists, first, in speaking against the revelation or 
ordinances of God ; and secondly, in the avowal of 
heretical doctrines, indirectly calculated to degrade 
the glory of the triune Jehovah, and the gospel of his 
grace." And such are the Socinian and modern 
Unitarian heresies, the promoters of which, under the 
reign of William III., 3 were held to be criminals. 
And, while we consider these heresies as "damn- 
able" 4 they cannot withhold from us the meed of 
candor in conceding that now an unchecked liberalism 



!. James iv., 13 — lfi. 9 Exod. v 8. 

3. See the 9th, and 13th of William III., Chap. 38. 4. 9 Pet ii. 1 



322 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

has removed from them all restraint, and that, by a 
rapidly increasing coalition with the various grades 
of existing se?m-protestant Orthodoxy, there is a fair 
prospect before them of repeating the scenes of other 
days, and joining issue with their sister compeer 
(France) in the Deification of human reason. Of the 
prevalence of this species of " blasphemy M we affirm, 
(and we challenge contradiction,) no period in the 
history of Christendom, will compare with the last 
fifty years. It was in A. D. 1792, just fifty years 
ago, since atheistic France made a general bou-fire 
of the Scriptures, — designated Jesus Christ as " the 
wretch, " — pronounced death to be an eternal sleep, 
— and bowed themselves before the shrine of a pros- 
titute, as a personification of the goddess of reason ! 
And, to a similar, yea, and to a more fearful consum- 
mation, is the tendency of every existing species of 
heretical blasphemy, however modified its present 
form. We pass to the next of the above character- 
istics of the age, — viz., that of being, 

6. " Disobedient to parents." In the broad sense, 
of parents there are several orders, which we shall 
classify as follows : God is our heavenly, owe spiritual 
Father, — " the powers which be," in the state, consti- 
tute our national or political father, — in the church, 
our ecclesiastical father, — in the departments of edu- 
cation, our teachers may be called fathers — and, our 
parents are our natural father and mother. Now, in 
illustration of that disobedience towards God as our 
heavenly, our spiritual Father, which characterizes 
these " last days," turn back and read the 4th article in 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 323 

this category. Of the others, whether of the civil 
magistracy, or the sacred orders of the ministry, as 
spiritual rulers, or of teachers, how evident the dis- 
position among all classes of subordinates to u despise 
government," l and " dominion " and to " speak evil of 
dignities ?" 2 And, " in regard to disobedience to nat- 
ural parents, it is a circumstance so commonly no- 
ticed by persons at all observant of the moral char- 
acter of the age, as especially belonging to the present 
times, that it requires no further comment. A great 
declension has been noticed in this respect in the 
last half-century, as compared with the times im- 
mediately preceding. Indeed I fear, that it would 
now provoke the laughter of many, were they to be 
seriously reminded, that the sons and daughters of 
patriarchal times rose up before their parents and su- 
periors, and did them homage." 3 

Filial insubordination may be traced to the follow- 
ing and similar causes. — A rejection of the headship 
of the family compact 4 — neglect of parental discipline^ 
so that parents have now come to treat their children 
with the familiarity of brothers and sisters, rather than 
of sons and daughters ; and to make it a moral ques- 
tion, whether it be right to coerce or to chastise them : 5 
the effect of which is to engender, first, disrespect, and 
second, contempt. And, this disposition of mind once 

1. 2 Pet. ii. 10. fi. Jade a 

3. Gen. xxi. 31 ; 1 Kings ii. 19 ; Lev. six, 38, 

4. 1 Pet. iii., 1— 6; Eph. v. 22, 24. 

5. Compare Heb. xii., 9, 10 j Piov. xxix. 15; xxii. ; 15, with x.. 
13; xiii.,24. 



324 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

gaining the ascendancy over the mind of a child, it 
grows with his growth and strengthens with his 
strength, till, passing through all the intermediate 
grades of insubordination, it reaches the throne of 
God ! We pass to the next article. Men should be, 

7. " Unthankful." The spirit of disobedience, of 
insubordination to the powers which be, as compre- 
hending the various orders from our natural parents up 
the great Parent of all, coming in contact with those 
of " boasting," and " pride," (see articles 3 and 4,) its 
natural allies, begets that feeling of independence 
which says, " My power, and the might of mine hand 
hath gotten me these things ?" l Hence men are " un- 
thankful." Are our national fasts in times of calami- 
ty treated by the mass with neglect and derision. 
Our national thanksgivings are converted into seasons 
of inordinate indulgence. And, viewed as a religious 
act, how often is the public or family " grace before 
meat" followed by " the Non Nobis Domine, after the 
repast ?" And, in offering up prayers in the great con- 
gregation at the request " of persons under affliction or 
in sickness, how few out of the number restored are 
found to return thanks ? Alas ! though " ten may 
be cleansed, there is found only one to return thanks 
to God. 2 Above all, see this spirit of ingratitude on 
the part of the people to their God and Saviour in all 
our churches, on those Sundays devoted to the com- 
memoration of the sufferings and death of our Lord 
in the holy Eucharist. See the dying love of Christ 



1. Deut. viii., 17. 2. Luke xvii 



17. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 325 

in the redemption of the world as then and there 
slighted, by the crowds who refuse to '• draw near 
with faith, and partake of that holy Sacrament." 

8. " Unholy P Let it not be forgotten that the Apostle 
is treating of those who have " a form of godliness." 
Nor is it difficult to describe such. Their language is 
not how much of self sacrifice will it " cost " 1 me to 
be a Christian ? but how far may I conform myself 
to the maxims and customs of the world, and still re- 
tain the Christian name ? Hence such are ever ready 
to denounce as puritanical and enthusiastic, every 
grade of religious character that rises above their 
standard. Some of them have conformed outwardly 
to all the ordinances and rites of the Church — Bap- 
tism, Confirmation, and the Lord's Supper. But the 
unholiness of the age may be inferred from the low 
and worldly views and motives which actuate many in 
seeking admission thereto, and especially of those who 
though they have been baptized and confirmed, yet 
abstain frem the holy communion, because " it does 
more solemnly engage them to that holiness which 
they are resolved not follow after." They have a 
name to live, but they are dead. 2 They " profess to 
know God, but in works deny him." 3 Oh, how great, 
we fear, is the number of such ! Another predicted 
characteristic of these times is, that men should be, 

9. " Without natural affection." The time was, 
when children were considered a " gift and heritage 

1. See Matt, vii., 21; xvi., 24.; Lake xiv., "2S. 
% Rev. iii., 1. 3. Titus i., 10. 

28 



326 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

which cometh of the Lord, and that that man was 
happy that had his quiver full of them." 1 But what 
is now more common than those expressions which 
more than imply that they are " an incumbrance and 
misfortune ?" How rare, also, the instances of such 
" children and nephews " as those spoken of by St. 
Paul, I Tim. v. 4. ? E'er they have entered upon 
their teens, thousands are committed to the dubious 
influences of foreign culture, physical and mental, 
scientific and religious ; while thousands more, aliena- 
ted from their early homes by parental apathy, are 
precipitated upon the wide ocean of adventure, heed- 
less of what awaits them; and all this based upon that 
Atheistic, anti-social principle, of which we have al- 
ready spoken, and which teaches " that we should 
love all men alike ; and that the preferences which we 
show to the more intimate relationships is a prejudice, 
and an offence to uniformity and equality of love ; 
and, in an age when liberality is the object of univer- 
sal worship, and public opinion of men, not the word 
of God, is the common law, nothing else is to be ex- 
pected but a dissolution of the bonds of natural af- 
fection, and the increase of crime in every direction." 
But another mark of these last days ; — 

10. " Truce-breakers? This " refers to that state 
of mind, which, if it enters into covenant, does so 
without intending to be bound by it, but to break it 
whenever the passions or expediency invite." Hence, 
nations violate the laws oi neutrality. The same may 

1. Ps. cxivii. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 327 



be said of public pledges and principles. In all the 
departments of business " the same recklessness of 
oaths and engagements " are proverbial among men. 
But, more appalling still is the prevalence of this 
" truce-breaking " spirit in the church. Apply this 
subject to those solemn obligations assumed at bap- 
tism. " Oh ! how lightly is the covenant entered into 
in the first instance, and how awfully despised and 
trampled under foot afterwards ! M The same may be 
said of the assumption of baptismal vows at confirma- 
tion, the recipients of that sacred rite, in numerous 
instances, making no further advances ; and if they 
do, their obliging themselves to a more holy life by a 
participation of the holy Eucharist, furnishing no evi- 
dence that they rightly " discern the Lord's body." 

11. "False accusers." Upon this characteristic it 
is unnecessary that I enlarge. The universality of its 
prevalence among all classes, precludes the necessity 
of adducing evidence of its existence. '■ Charity en- 
vieth not," and "thinketh no evil." But of all the 
viperous brood of the censorious, wanton, and malig- 
nant, there is not one left to " cast the first stone ;" 
and in the church, as well as out of the church, are 
to be found those who habitually cater to the appetites 
of the lovers of scandal, and innocence and purity 
ofttimes seeks refuge in the cold earth, from the pesti- 
ferous breath of an inuendo. 

12. " Incontinent" or the surrendering of oneself 
to the dominion of unbridled appetites. See this ex- 
emplified in an inordinate ambition after display m the 
costliness and magnificence of our "ceiled houses" — in 



328 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

our equipage — in our effeminacy and luxury — in our 
immoderate love of dress — of indulgence in " vain 
and foolish talking and jesting," l and of frequenting 
those scenes of vice and profligacy, which pander to 
and consequently awaken, all the baser passions of our 
nature. With a late writer on this subject, I add, that 
" I do not feel justified in going at large into the proofs 
of direct sensual incontinency. I will satisfy myself 
with appealing to the testimony of all moralists who 
have had an opportunity of observing the state of so- 
ciety abroad and at home. There never was a period 
when the habits of men were so generally profligate. 
But * * * I would draw a veil over this part of my 
painful subject." 

13. "Fierce" The fruit of incontinent indulgence, as 
just described. He who has not obtained the mastery 
over his other passions, will scarcely aim at imitating 
the example of " the Prince of Peace," 2 who was 
" meek and lowly in heart," 3 in curbing that unru'y 
member, the tongue. This unhallowed instrument 
" sets on fire the course of nature ! " 4 Nor can his- 
tory record the period when this fire raged with more 
unabated fury and extent than now. What, brook a 
contradiction ! Let the results of intemperate language 
in high places answer. Grave of Cilley, answer ! and, 
as in our own, so in other countries, this fierceness of 
spirit now rages with redoubled fury. "The law o* 
honor " seeks satisfaction at the sacrifice of human 



1. Hag. i., 4. 2. Isa. ix., 6 

3. Matt, xi., 29. 4. James iii., 6. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 329 

life for the most trivial affront. And this fire, burning 
thus fiercely in the breast of the statesman, spreads 
its destructive ravages to a most fearful extent, though 
perhaps in a different form, among the lower orders of 
all classes. " Raging waves of the sea, foaming out 
their own shame ! '' l 

14. " Despisers of them that are good? The 
"good" here are those who, like Enoch of old, 
" walk with GodV 2 But " they (the scornful) that 
sit in the gate speak against them, and they are the 
song of the drunkard." 3 

15. " Traitors? Yes. Many, now having " the 
form of godliness, but denying the power thereof," 
upon the manifestation of the ascendant anti-christian 
principle, Infidelity, like Judas of old, will give the 
traitorous kiss, and betray into the hands of the " man 
of sin and son of perdition" thousands of the deluded 
votaries of Deism, modern Unitarianism, and Soci- 
nianism. And, as though to render this work doubly 
sure, and as the righteous retribution of heaven upon 
them for their wilful blindness, 4 "God shall send them 
strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that 
they all might be damned who believed not the truth, 
but had pleasure in unrighteousness.." 5 

16. "Heady." 

17. "High-minded? These characteristics may 
well go together. They are but streams which flow 



1. Jude 13. 2. 

3. Ps. lxix., 12 \. 

5. 2 Thess ii., 11, 12. 

28* 



330 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

from the same corrupt source with those of boasting, 
pride, disobedience, fierceness, &c. Hence, they 
" despise government — they are self-willed — they are 
not afraid to speak evil of dignities." * Their language 
is, " with our tongue will we prevail ; our lips are 
our own ; who is Lord over us ? " 

18. " Lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of 
God? As connected with a form of godliness, we 
are to understand this characteristic as descriptive of 
an inordinate fondness for the mere pomp and out- 
ward circumstance of religion ; the gratification of an 
excessive fastidiousness as to the matter and manner 
of the preacher, the quality of the music, &c. Hence 
the present predominating love of novelty and excite- 
ment, and the running from church to church, as from 
one theatre to another ; so that not unseldom the judi- 
cious, able, time-worn, though unassuming minister 
of Christ, is exchanged for the clerical comedian. 

Then, too, this disposition is seen in unchecked in- 
dulgence in the pleasures and amusements of the 
world, in which nominal professors of religion so 
largely participate. All indulgence with such is con- 
sidered as " harmless," " innocent," and the like, that 
falls not under the imputation of " notorious evil 
living." * 

Nor can we pass that class of " lovers of pleasure, 
more than lovers of God," who, not content with the 



1. 2 Pet. ii., 10. 

2 # See the Rubric to Communion Service. Book of Common 
Prayer. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 331 

ordinary avenues to wealth, have, under " a form of 
godliness," sought to "make merchandize" of Christian- 
ity, by erecting large and magnificent places of wor- 
ship, and supporting a succession of popular pulpit 
actors, as a matter of mere speculation. 

19. " Having a form of godliness, but denying the 
power thereof' 1 '' It is then assumed that the truth of 
these predicted characteristics of " the last days," and 
of their special applicability to our own times, none 
will pretend either to gainsay or resist ; and if there is 
anything in these premises calculated to impose a more 
than ordinary tax upon our credulity, it would seem 
to be this — that so many, both in theory and practice^ 
should deny not only, but in heart despise religion, 
and yet invest themselves with its outward " form." 
See this exemplified in almost every religious organiz- 
ation of the day, where the true principles of the gos, 
pel are made subservient to personal name and influ- 
ence and wealth, "because of advantage." 1 No. "There 
is in the present age no want of high patronage, when 
solicited, for our various evangelical institutions ; no 
deficiency of persons to take the chair, and preside on 
religious occasions; no w< nt of the form of church- 
going, baptism, &c. ; but the very men who can thus 
far approve religion, and "do many things gladly," be- 
tray either a senile of contempt or a feeling- oi re- 
pugnance," the moment you speak of religion as im- 
parting spiritual power to the soul of the believer. 

Nor is this all. What is of more common occur- 

1. Jude 16. 



332 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

rence in these days, than the cry of, "persecution!" 
by the various heretical sects, e. g., Deists, modern 
Unitarians, Socinians, Universalists, German Neol- 
ogists, &c., because, forsooth, we withhold from them 
all right to the Christian name. Of this however, 
we can no longer (comparatively) complain, when 
various systems of perverted philosophy is employed 
in sowing anew the seeds of Atheism, under the pre 
text of promoting Christianity. 

Here then, under the influence of the all-potent 
alembic of modern liberalism, we have Heretics, of 
every name, and Infidels, and Atheists, though differ- 
ing widely from each other, yet joining issue in laying 
claim to and using the Christian name ! "Having 

A FORM OF GODLINESS, BUT DENYING THE POWER 

thereof." We do therefore most solemnly affirm, 
and challenge contradiction, that the above Pauline 
prediction of the marks of Christian apostacy of 
" the last days," if they have any meaning, and 
if they apply to any age, their import is verified to a 
fearful extent throughout Christendom at this very 
moment ; and consequently, that they apply to our 
own times. Yes, that this is most emphatically 
THE TIME that the apostle in 2 Tim. iv., 3, pre- 
dicted would come, when " men would not endure 
sound doctrine ; but that after their own lusts they 
should heap to themselves teachers, having itching 
ears." Heaven prepare the humble few of the faithful 
in Christ Jesus, to meet with becoming composure 
and fortitude the consummation of these mysterious 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 333 

workings of iniquity, in the establishment in his seat 
of the last Anti- Christian power ! We pass, 

4. To the predicted prevalence of Scoffers in 
these last times, as another " Sign" designed to in- 
dicate the speedy appearance of the son of man in 
clouds. Says St. Peter, " there shall come in the last 
days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, and say- 
ing, where is the promise of his coming ? For since 
the father's fell asleep, all things continue as they 
were from the beginning of the Creation." ■ Nor, sad 
to tell, is even this class necessarily and exclusively 
confined to the unbelieving world. Would God it 
were so ! But, how many professing Christians, for- 
getting that "the Lord is not slack concerning his 
promises," that the faithful in Christ Jesus shall in 
due time inherit that " New heavens and new earth 
wherein dwelleth righteousness ; " 2 join with the In- 
fidel scoffer and say, u where is the promise of his 
coming?" What u Sig?is" are to be given that he 
will so come ? Ah, none . so blind as those who ivill 
not see. Alas, for such is reserved the greater c >n- 
demnation. 3 

5. The fifth Pre-millenial advent " Sign" is, the uni- 
versal spread of the gospel among M nations. Says 
our Lord, " This gospel of the kingdom shall be 
preached as a witni s among all nations, and then 
shall the END come." Mark — as a witness — not 
as the instrument of the conversion of all nations — 
"for, this glorious and immense accession to the king- 



1. 2 Pet. iii., 1—4. 2. Isa. lxv., 17. :>. Matt, xxiii., 11 



334 SIGNS OP THE TIMES, &C. 

dom of our Redeemer is an achievement reserved for 
the Millenial age m — See on this subject the first four- 
teen verses of the sixtieth chapter of Isaiah. The 
question then is, has the gospel been a witness for 
the truth of God to all nations, or has it not ? " If 
we look over a map of the world, and the reports of 
the different Missionary and Bible Societies, we shall 
find it difficult to place our finger on one spot of the 
globe where the glorious gospel of the blessed God 
has not been sent." 2 This remarkable Sign, says Mr. 
Thorp of Liverpool, in his Destinies of the British 
Empire, moving with speed and majesty in the spirit- 
ual heaven of the Universal Church, and indicating 
the coming of the Lord, is visible to all nations ; for 
the symbolical angel takes wing immediately before 
the days of vengeance. And it is remarkable, that 
these noble institutions of Christian benevolence ori- 
ginated in Great Britain, at the momentous crisis when 
the papal kingdoms began to shake under the visitations 
of Divine wrath in 1793. Yes, my brethren, it was 
amidst the rage and madness of Atheism, — amidst 
the horrors and chaos of anarchy and revolution, — 
that these societies rose with placid dignity ; combin- 
ing, as they rose, the wealth, the talents, the influence, 
and the energies f myriads of Christians, in various 
nations and of all denominations, in one generous ef- 
fort to rescue the heathen world from the bondage of 
corruption. 3 



1. Thorp's Destruction of the British Empire, p. 76. 
2. Hooper's Crisis, p. 7, 8. 3. See Note, Thorp p. 77. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 335 

It is believed, therefore, that this " Sign" has per- 
formed its entire circuit among the nations. 

6. Indulgence of some of the worst passions of our 
nature, by professing Christians, is another predict- 
ed " Sign" of the Second Advent as nigh at hand. 
" Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one 
another, and shall hate one another." l Diversities of 
opinion, to say nothing of articles of faith among 
Christians, possess, inherently, the elements of dis- 
union. And those elements have at times appeared in 
outbursts of extreme virulence. But, we venture to 
affirm, that in no instance has such acrimony, such a 
vituperative and denunciatory spirit exhibited itself as 
in that of a difference of opinion among Christians re- 
garding the time of our Blessed Lord and Saviour's 
Second Advent. In various parts of England, pulpits 
have been closed against the advocates of the pre-mil- 
lenial advent of Jesus, by brethren of the same faith 
in all other respects, because they viewed that event 
as P os t-millenial ! Periodical expositors of Prophecy, 
conducted according to the rules of interpretation 
founded on this principle, have also been denounced 
in the most unmeasured terms. An<?, what is true of 
England, in both these respects, is true also of our own 
country. Brethren, I mean not to turn Prophet my- 
self — no, far from* it. But, mark ye, — as this truth 
of the Pre-millenial advent of Jesus, with its kindred 
topics is studied, and believed, and advocated, you will 
receive abundant additional illustrations of the truth 
of this predicted " sign" of these last times. 



1. Matt, xxiv., 10. 



336 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

7. The next pre-millenial advent " sign" is, the ad- 
vance of human science, and the practical rejection 
of the presiding wisdom of Revelation, Take the 
following passages as the predicted basis of this Sign. 
" This know also, that in the last days perilous times 
shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own 
selves — boasters, proud, blasphemers — heady, high 
minded." l — " He is antichrist that denieth that Jesus 
is the Christ' 1 — " Every spirit that confess eth not that 
Jesus Christ is come* in the flesh is not of God." 2 
" Let no man deceeive you — for the day of Christ 
shall not come, except there come a falling away Jirst } 
and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition, 
who oppose th and exalteth himself above all that is 

1. 2 Tim. iii., 1—4. 2. 1 John iv. 3. 

* On the subject of the last developement of the anti-Christian 
power, the Rev. Mr. Bickersteth observes, — "It may be gathered, 
I think, that there is a grovjing form of Antichrist, from the change 
of the Apostle's expressions : a change which should lead us to 
tremble at the idea of in any way denying a future coming of our 
Lord in the flesh. The remarkable variation in the 1st and 2nd 
Epistle of John, (not noticed in our translation,) respecting Christ's 
coming in the flesh, seems to mark tvjo stages of Antichrist. In the 
1st Epistle (iv. 3,) it is, every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus is 
come, (e\r)\vdora , already come,) is not of God, and this is that spirit 
of Antichrist, &c. In the 2nd Epistle, v. 7, it is, Many deceivers are 
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come (epx°^ov 
is coming,) in the flesh; this is the deceiver and the Antichrist. — Deny- 
ing the coming Savior is one mark of the Antichrist." Indeed, the 
l( very title of Christ is epxoptvos, the coming one." Practical 
Guide, pp. 110 and 57. 

For a similar use of the term, see Matt, xi., 3; xxi., 9; xxiii., 
39; Luke vii., 19: Heb. x., 37. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 337 

called God, or that is worshipped; so that he, as God, 
sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he 
is God." l 

Now, what do these passages collectively teach us ? 
What, but this? — That through theself-complaisancy 
and pride of the human mind and heart, the infinite 
wisdom of God will find a Rival in a Deification 
of creature intellect ! Does this sentiment startle 
you ? It startles us also. Yes, — and we have here 
thrown ourselves into a vast field, with scarcely a 
moment's time to survey it. We can only now affirm 
in general terms as a matter of fact, that " the suffi- 
ciency of science is the idol before which men of all 
ranks " are at this moment prostrating themselves ! 
In the Pantheistic-Neology of Germany — in the 
Rationalism and Transcendentalism of America — 
and in the almost total absence of recognition of an 
overruling Providence in the commercial, legislative, 
and we had almost said, (and to a great extent we do 
say it,) ecclesiastical systems of all nations, "the wis- 
dom of God is (even now) rejected, and the authority 
of Christ is held to be a ceremony and a name !" ' 

Herein therefore behold the " three unclean M mas- 
ter principles " like frogs," issuing from the mouth of 
the apocalyptic " dragon ; " (Rev. xvi. 13 ;) in the 
form, 1st., of Anarchy and Despotism; 2nd, of atheistic 
and infidel Science ; and 3rd, of Papal, or superstitious 
theology : all of which, at this very moment con- 
stitute so to speak the life blood, the mainspring of 



1. Thess. ii. 3, 4. 8. Noel's Brief Inq. p. 106, 

29 



338 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

action, throughout both the Old and the New 
world ! 

This " Sign of the times " indicates the speedy- 
placing, in his seat, of the Personal " Man of Sin, the 
son of perdition," after whom the whole infidel Anti- 
christian world is to wander, and whom 'they are to 
worship. 1 Heaven save us from his power ! 

8. Nearly allied to this " sign,'' are the events pour- 
trayed in the symbolic import of the sun, and the 
moon, and the stars, &c, named above. 

In many nations, yea, in our own, there are " signs 
in the sun, and moon, and stars" the prophetic sym- 
bols of their civil and ecclesiastical authorities. — 
M The powers of the heavens are shaken" Monarchs 
tremble on their thrones, or seek for repose at the sa- 
crifice of their crowns and sceptres. There is, liter- 
ally, the " distress of nations" the "perplexity," the 
agitation, and disquiet, and alarm, set forth by the 
"roaring leaves of the sea" May it not be said of 
all nations, that for the last 20 years, they have been 
merging more and more into the despicable character 
of " a mammon icorshipping people ? " Yea, they 
have fallen down before the idols of their own hands- 
making, "political wisdom, national wealth, and 
commercial prosperity" And,'when those who have 
by patient examination, and prayer, and watchfulness, 
observed the movements of Providence in these 
ominous precursors of national overthrow, and have 
dared to raise the voice of admonition and alarm, they 



1. Rev. xvii 8; xiii. 8. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 339 

have been denounced as " setters forth of strange 
things ! " The national confidence reposed in the 
omnipotence of our triune idol, for instance, evinced 
itself in deriding these as madmen. Bat, when the 
pestilence, as in '32, spread disorder and confusion 
throughout our borders in its fearful midnight and 
noonday ravages, what terror and dismay were de- 
picted in every countenance ? But to come nearer 
home still, let us advert to the alarm and consterna- 
tion which every where prevailed during the entire 
period of our Congressional Session of 1833. Whe- 
ther the causes which led to this general commotion 
were imaginary or real, it matters not ; neither does it 
at this time concern us. The fact is indisputable. 
And what was the consequence ? Every where the 
cry was heard, what meaneth this ? Whence its ori- 
gin ? What its end ? Our political wisdom, our na- 
tional wealth, and our commercial prosperity, the 
"staff and stay of our right hand, the Almighty," as 
it were, " shook in a day, and it bent like a reed sha- 
ken with the wind." And I ask what advances have 
since been made toward the removal of those evils ? 
Have they not rather accumulated to an alarming ex- 
tent? Then also, between neighbor and neighbor, 
townsman and townsman, brother and brother, confi- 
dence was then, and is still destroyed. As then, so 
now, many covered with dismay, confusion, and blank 
astonishment, and who think themselves rich in the 
morning, go to bed in poverty. The fear and dread o{ 
these last times rankles within almost every breast, prey- 
ing upon their hearts like avulture. Yea, "men's hearts 



340 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

fail them because of fear, and for looking after 
those things ivhich are coming on the earthy And 
if they would but for a moment turn their attention to 
an unprejudiced view of the present real state and 
character of their own and of other nations, they 
would see in the political, ecclesiastical, and moral 
instability of all, evidence crowding upon evidence, 
that the present "signs of the times" admonish us of 
the speedy fulfilment of all that has been either 
written or spoken by Christ and the prophets con- 
cerning us ! Once more, then, I ask, why is it that 
so many thrones are tottering? That republics, 
founded it was supposed, on the most invulnerable 
principles, are shaken to their very centre? That the 
most splendid fortunes are overthrown ? That the 
most ancient and revered names are dishonored ? 
That the most permanent establishments are laid 
prostrate? That credit between men is so fre- 
quently suspended ? That the financial bulwarks of 
different nations are subverted ? That divisions, and 
heresies, and schisms are every where devouring by 
piece-meal the precious vitals of religious truth and 
order? And, that the existing civil and ecclesiastical 
powers are reeling to and fro like a drunken man ? 
Yea, our national idol, Democracy, which has been 
wafted on eagles' pinions to the remotest nations of the 
earth, and which has furnished themes alike for the 
poet and the orator of almost every clime — winning, 
in its resistless course, the " golden opinions " of sub- 
jects both of the monarch and the despot — begins now 
to discover its inheritance of elements of a nature the 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 341 

most fearfully ruinous. Witness the recent, and now 
almost daily occurrences of outbreaks of popular com- 
motion among us ; and what, I ask, remains but to 
snap in sunder the cobweb bands which now confine 
these " roaring waves of the sea" within certain limits, 
when Democracy, degenerating into a universal anar- 
chy, like a desolating tornado, shall sweep over this 
now fair and beautiful garden of the new world, and 

« leave not a wreck behind." 



9. But we pass to another " sign ; " it is this : " The 
unusual determination of the dominant nations of 
Europe to maintain the mutual relations of peace ;" 
a verification of what the apocalyptic "angel " whom 
John " saw ascending from the east, having the seal 
of the living God," and who " cried with a loud voice 
to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the 
earth and the sea," said, — " Hurt not the earth, neither 
the sea, nor the trees, until we leave sealed the ser- 
vants of our God in their foreheads" l Now, is it 
not remarkable that in the month of July, 1840, the 
confederated powers of England, Russia, Austria, 
and Prussia united in staying the ravages of the 
usurper, Mehemet AH, against his Syrian master, the 
Sultan; which, unchecked, would doubtless have de- 
luged that whole country in a sea of blood. Equally 
ineffectual thus far have been all those exciting topics 
mooted between England and our own country, to ul- 
timate an open war. And though to this genera! state 

1. Rev. vii., 8. 

29* 



342 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

of national repose there may be the exception of 
" wars and rumors of wars," as between England and 
China, yet the present tranquillized state of the four 
allied powers, sufficiently indicates God's care of his 
chosen ones, and serves to give them the assurance 
that not a hair of their head shall perish. Yes, the 
redeemed of the Lord, collected together from the four 
corners of the earth, to sit down with Abraham, and 
Isaac, and Jacob in his kingdom ; and " the four an- 
gels to whom power is given to hurt the earth and the 
sea," will have nought to do but to turn upon and de- 
vour each other ! With this sign before us, therefore, 
my dear brethren, let our humble prayer be, "that we 
may be counted worthy to escape all these things, and 
to stand before the Son of Man." l 

This tranquillized state of the European and other 
nations, however, will be but of short continuance. 
Indeed, the present shaking of the nations indicate the 
speedy fulfilment, 

10. Of these predicted signs of our Lord, Matt 
xxiv., 6, 7, of " wars and rumors of wars? accom- 
panied with famine, and pestilence, and earthquakes 
in divers places, together with those mentioned Acts 
ii. 19., of u wonders in heaven above, and signs in 
the earth beneath ; blood, and fire, and vapour of 
smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and 
the moon into blood, before that great and notable 
day of the Lord ccme." 

(1) "With regard to wars, it is unnecessary to 

1. Luke xxi., 36. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 343 

enlarge. This species of trouble being every where 
threatened. The prediction of the battle of Arma- 
geddon, (whatever may be the nature of that event) 
is familiar to every student of prophecy. When " the 
kings of the earth are gathering together their armies 
against the Lamb ; " ! " when the heathen shall furiously 
rage together, and the people imagine a vain thing ;" 2 
and before the occurrence of that battle, which shall 
be, " not with confused noise, and with garments roll- 
ed in blood, but with burning and fuel of fire ; " 3 we 
may surely believe, that " the nations will be angry," 
that the passions of men will be roused, and that the 
whole earth shall be rife with wars and with rumors 
of wars. 

(2.) Next, with regard to famines and pestilences. 
When God executes judgment upon a guilty nation, 
he often shows the extent of his power by the variety 
of calamities which he inflicts. It is not by war mereiy 
that he brings down their strength, but he arms the 
verv elements of nature against them. Ezekiel enu- 
merates four sore judgments — the famine, the sword, 
the pestilence, and the noisome beast ; and he threat- 
ens, that when the wickedness of men shall have pro- 
voked God to inflict them, the presence even of a 
Daniel, a Job, or a Noah shall not avail to the pre- 
servation of a guilty nation. Many perished by famine 
when Jerusalem was destroyed by the king of Babylon ; 
and afterwards, when it was destroyed by Titus. And 
Gibbon has remarked the frequency with which fa- 

1. Rev. xyii. 2. Psalm ii. 3. Isa. ix. 



344 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

mines, pestilences and earthquakes occurred during 
the reign of Justinian, under whom the saints of Christ 
were given into the hands of the little horn. We 
might, therefore, conclude, a priori, that in the execu- 
tion of the last judgments upon apostate Christen- 
dom, God would pursue the same course ; and that 
the sword would be accompanied by other plagues, 
such as famines, pestilences, and earthquakes. And 
this conclusion is confirmed by many passages in the 
prophetic books of the Old Testament. 

One passage which I shall quote, extends from Isa. 
viii 21, to ix. 7. The prophet speaks of a great tribula- 
tion, during which the conflict takes place when the 
rod of the oppressor shall be broken as in the day of 
the Midian, and after which the kingdom of Christ 
shall be established. And in chap, viii, 21, mention 
is made of men who shall be " hardly bestead and 
hungry ; and it shall come to pass, that when they 
shall be hungry, they shall fret themselves, and curse 
their king and their God, and shall look upward." 

Another passage I shall adduce is Isaiah xlii. 15. 
This chapter is evidently prophetic of Christ's king- 
dom. After declaring how the Lord, who had long 
refrained himself, would at last go forth, like a mighty 
man, and stir up jealousy like a man of war, he then 
subjoins these threatening words : "I will make waste 
mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs ; and 
I will make the rivers islands, and dry up their pools. 
And I will bring the blind by a way that they know 
not ; I will make darkness light before them, and 
crooked things straight." This evidently implies that 



SIGNS OP THE TIMES, &C. 345 

God will for a time withdraw the bounties of provi- 
dence, and thus bring days of straitness and trouble 
upon the earth, before that final restoration of the Jews, 
the glory of which shall so far surpass their former 
deliverance out of Egypt, that that deliverance shall be, 
in comparison, deemed scarce worthy of remembrance. 1 

Another passage I shall adduce is Ezekiel xxviii. 
20, to the end. This prophecy is addressed to Zidon, 
but no one can read it without perceiving that it must 
belong to some future Zidon, which shall be flourish- 
ing on the earth in the latter days. The promises 
contained in the last two verses are applicable only to 
the millennial state ; and in the 23rd verse God threat- 
ens that he will send a pestilence and blood into her 
streets, and thus make her know that he is the Lord. 

Other passages might be adduced bearing on the 
same point. I shall, however, notice only one more, 
viz. Rev. xvii. 8. It is said of Babylou, " Therefore 
shall her plagues come in one day, death (i. e. pesti- 
lence) mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly 
burned with fire. For strong is the Lord God who 
judgeth ner." 

From the attentive consideration of these passages 
we learn that famines and pestilences will constitute a 
portion of the bitterness of that unparalleled tribulation 
which as yet awaits the world, and which will pre- 
cede the establishment of Christ's kingdom. 

(3.) And, lastly, with regard to earthquakes. We 
know that the last judgement will be by lire, the ler- 

1. Jeraniah xxiii. 7, 8. 



346 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C 



vent heat of which will melt the elements of which 
the earth is composed. And it seems natural to ima- 
gine that the fire destined to produce this conflagration, 
and now perhaps imprisoned beneath the soil on which 
we tread, will often, as if impatient for a vent, make 
frequent eruptions, before God finally permits it to 
break out to execute his work of vengeance. Such 
eruptions will cause earthquakes. And these minor 
terrors are to be regarded as harbingers of that last 
destruction, which shall be accomplished, when the 
Lord of hosts shall arise to shake terribly the earth. 
It is perhaps by means of these convulsions, that the 
Lord shall utterly destroy the tongue of the Egyptian 
sea, and shall smite the river into seven streams. 1 
Thus we also learn that in that day, when God shall 
punish the host of high ones that are on high, the 
earth shall be utterly broken, that it shall reel to and 
fro like a drunkard, and shall be removed like a cot- 
tage. 2 The prophet Joel declares that the Lord shall 
roar from Zion, and the heavens and the earth shall 
shake. 3 Zachariah foretels, that at the coming of the 
Lord the Mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst, 
towards the east and towards the west, and there shall 
be a very great vallay. 4 But St. John, in the book of 
the Revelation, is still more explicit : upon the pour- 
ing out of the seventh vial, " there were voices, thun- 
ders, lightnings, and a great earthquake" 5 

(4.) Other phenomena also, or the predicted " won- 



1. Isaiah xi. 15. 2. Isaiah xxiv. 19—23. 3. Joel iii. 4. 
4. Zech. xiv. 16 5. Rev. xvi 18. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 347 

ders in. the heavens, and signs in the earth, blood, 
and fire, and vapour, and smoke, it is more than con- 
jectural have been, and are still receiving their fulfil- 
ment in the appearance of the Aurora Borealis, or Nor- 
thern Lights, respecting which the following appro- 
priate effusion, from the pen of a poet of promise, is 
here inserted : — 



" Ye gorgeous visions of the Northern sky, 

Mysterious and sublime ! 
Who lit your brilliant light on high'* 
Stream ye alone in idle revelry, 

Alone, oe'r cloudy clime ; 
Without an aim, or nature, more 
Than mortal vision can explore 1 

Or have ye some high, unknown ministry 1 
Whence sprang ye into birth 1 

In distant realms unseen 1 
Or claim ye sisterhood with earth 1 
And will your strange ethereal sheen 

Fade with her fading sphere ? 

Man's wisdom has not told — 

Ye are a mystery, 
Which time perhaps shall ne'er unfold; 
Philosophy, whose eagle pinion bold 

Has conquered space, and brought the planets near 
To her expecting eye, 

Has sought in vain to fathom you, 

Or tell the office that yc do. 

Ye are of later date— 
Say, arc yc for a sign, 
Lit by the hand Divine, 
Whence earth should read her coming fate \ 



348 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

Signs shall be set in heaven, 

And wonders meet the eye, 
And flaming prodigies be given 

Within the upper sky. 

Ye may be such — yet man would be 
Most backward thus to interpret ye, 
Who glides in blind security, 

Down time's exhausting tide ; 
Puts far away the evil day, ; 
Or dreams that he shall dwell for aye, 

In all his lust and pride. 

Whate'er ye are, ye have an «zm, 
For He has lit your wondrous flame, 

Who fashions not a flower in vain. 
And howe'er fruitlessly we pry, 
Into your inward mystery, 

One feature still is plain — 
Like as in all his works, sublime or fair, 
We trace the glories of the Godhead there." * 



Respecting these, a late writer remarks, — " And 
can it be doubted, that the signs in nature — in the 
heavens and in the earth — have for some time been 
appearing? We have seen the appearance in the 
heavens of " blood and fire, and vapour of smoke." 
No words could be used to give an idea of the 
Northern Lights, as they are called, more fitly than 
these. They so exactly answered the scripture pro- 
phecy, as, at first, to occasion great alarm ; but, be- 
coming frequent, now scarcely attract the eye of 



* Isaac Gray Blanchard, from the " Brother Jonathan.' 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 349 

curiosity." * I would add, e'er we treat this subject 
with a spirit of incredulity or in a way of trifling eva- 
sion, would it not be well to ask, what, in our view, 
admitting that the Scriptures teach us to expect that 
the closing scene of time is to be ] receded by certain 
natural phenomena, would approach nearer thereto 
than the above ? And, who will, who can deny, but 
that the world appears 

11 To toll the death-bell of its own decease, 
And by the voice of all its elements 
To preach the gen'ral doom. When were the winds 
Let slip with such a warrant to destroy 1 
When did the waves so haughtily o'erleap 
Their ancient barriers 7 



* These northern lights " appeared in this part of the world early 
in the present century, just above the Northern Horizon ; and about 
the same time, in much the same manner, they appeared in Europe. 
They, or something very similar, a few times at some periods, had 
been observed before, viz., 1621, Sept. 2, they were observed a\ 
over France. 1581 they appeared in Germany, in an extraordinaryl 
manner in April and Sept., and in a less degree at some other times 
the same year; and the year before, 1580, they were there observed 
seven times. 1575 they were seen twice in Brabant, February 13, 
and September 28. 1574 they were observed in England, two nights 
successively, November 14th and 15th ; and also October 7th, 1564, 
and January 30, 1560. And, there were several such like appear- 
ances in the age immediately preceding the destruction of Jerusalem. 
Before the beginning of the present century, however, they had 
not been noticed for near an hundred years ; but, from that time, or 
from March 6, 1716, they became very frequent ; and continued 
gradually to rise, and approach toward the South, apparently, 
widening and spreading as they advanced, and about the middle o( 
this century often reached the Zenith of New England; and a t 
length have proceded so tar South, or have risen so high, as to be 
seen sometimes in the West-Indies." 

30 



350 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C 



Fires from beneath, and meteors from above, 
Portentous, unexampled, unexplained, 
Have kindled beacons in the skies ; and th' old 
And crazy earth has had her shaking fits 
More frequent, and foregone her usual rests. 
The pillars of our planet seem to fail, 
And nature with a dim and sickly eye 

To Wait THE CLOSE OF ALL ! " 

11. As another "Sign" of the times, we refer you 
to the predicted approaching overthrow of the 
Turkish Empire, or the drying up of the mystic 
Euphrates. Here, as though . all the preceding 
18 Signs " so to speak, were to fail in awaking the at- 
tention of Christians to the awful crisis at hand, the 
Almighty has furnished us with a " Sign " that meets 
the eye and the ear at every turn. I mean, the pre- 
sent rapid decay and approaching ruin of the Turkish 
or Ottoman Empire. This Empire, before its con- 
solidation under Othman, was divided into four Sul- 
tanies, having for their capitals Bagdad, Damas- 
cus, Aleppo, and Iconium. These Sultanies were 
the "Angels" which were "bound in the great river - 
Euphrates," being for a long time confined to its 
banks by the agency of the Crusades. But, the Apoc- 
alyptic "Sixth Angel who had the trumpet," was 
commanded to " loose these four Angels," for an ap- 
pointed time. And, we now observe, that this ap- 
pointed time is defined and limited, even to a day ! 
"And the four Angels were loosed, who were pre- 
pared for an hour, and a day, and a month, and a 
year, for to slay the third part of men." l Interpret- 

1. Rev. ix. 14, 15. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, <fcC. 351 

ing these periods mystically, and they give us the 
definite number of 391 years and a month. Now, the 
only period of Turkish history to which this date can 
with any consistency apply is, when Constantinople 
was besieged by the Moslem conqueror Mahomet, on 
the 29th day of May, A. D. 1453. Then, " Constan- 
tine, the last of the Caesars, perished fighting for his 
country, while thousands fell by his side. And the 
city experienced the horrors of sack and pillage, 
heightened by the animosity which the Mahometans 
felt towards the Christians." Hence Constantinople 
and the Eastern or Greek Empire, was to fall under 
the ravaging hand of Daniel's " king of a fierce coun- 
tenance," ,for the above period of 391 years, &c. 
which, if added to A. D. 1453, brings us down to 
A. D. 1844, as the period marked in prophecy tor the 
utter extinction of the Turkish power. To furnish 
evidence of the correctness of this position prospect- 
ively, I have only time now to add, look toward the 
East ! — look at Syria! — listen to the trumpet voice 
of every gale in its tidings thence, and, if I am not 
mistaken, you will be disposed rather to antedate than 
prolong, this coming event. 

But it may be asked, why attach more of impor- 
tance to that, than to many other similar events 
equally specified in history ? We answer, 

12. Because it is in itself a " sign," (7 prelude to, and 
the immediate precursor of\ the destruction of the 
Papal Hierarchy. The drying up of the mystic Eu- 
phrates, or extinction of the Turkish empire, is but 
the ante-type of what was shadowed forth in the di- 



352 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

version, by Gyrus, of the river Euphrates from its 
usual course, by which he entered and destroyed an- 
cient Babylon, which all admit to be, a type of the 
mystic ox Papal " BABYLON THE GREAT, THE 
MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINA- 
TIONS OF THE EARTH." 1 Yes, the extinction 
of that empire is ordaimd of heaven for the especial 
purpose. Cl that the way of the kings of the East may 
be prepared" to put in their eternal abjuration of all 
further allegiance to u the Mother of Harlots" as such, 
that they may give their honor and power to another, 2 
even " THE MAN OF SIN, THE SON OF PER- 
DITION, who is to exalt himself above all that is 
called God, or that is worshipped!" The extinction 
of the former, therefore, leads directly to the destruc- 
tion of the latter. Now, coupling this with the pre- 
ceding, we say, " here is a Sign which none can mis- 
take ! But, alas, what is the state of Europe," and of 
our own country, in relation to these events 7 " Pre- 
cisely that which characterized Babylon of old, in the 
night of her great overthrow. Each says within her- 
self, " I sit as a queen, and am no widow, and shall see 
no sorrow." But what says the prophetic voice? 
" Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, 
and mourning, and famine, and she shall be utterly 
burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who 
judgeth thee !" Oh, my feeble prayer is and shall 

!. Rev. xvii. 5. 2. 2 Thess. ii., — . 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 353 



be, — Lord God, open the ears of these two Christian 
nations, to hear thy warning voice, e'er it be too late ! 

13. We pass to another " Sign" of the speedy, second, 
personal advent of Jesus to our earth ; viz, ' the pres- 
ent circumstances and expectations of the Jews" Of 
their last long captivity, and the desolation of their 
beloved city and temple, we have already spoken. 
We now affirm, that the Scriptures speak of their final, 
and, as we believe, speedy restoration to their own 
land. Daniel says, " When the Lord shall have ac- 
complished to scatter the power of his holy people," l 
i. e., when Jerusalem shall " have been trodden down 
of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles 
should be fulfilled ;" 2 that then there should come out 
of Zion the deliverer, and should turn away un- 
godliness from Jacob." 3 

But, how is this to be brought about ? " Hear the 
word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the 
Isles afar off, and say, He that scattereth Israel, will 
gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd does his 
flock." 4 

But when will the Lord do this? Answer — as 
demonstrated in our previous Lecture, the year of our 
Lord, 1847, is the period when the sanctuary shall be 
cleansed, and DaniePs vision of Jewish desolation 
be accomplished in " the last end of the indignation." 
This, however, can only be effected, first, by the in- 
gathering- of the Jews to their own land : and second. 



1. Dan. xii., 7. 8. Luke xxi , -M. 

3. Isa. lix. 20. 4. Jer. xxxi., 10. 

30* 



354 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

by the destruction of their Great Desolator, the last 
antichrist, who, with his Armageddon army, upon 
their restoration, will once more go up against Jerusa- 
lem to battle. Then, also, the approaching extinc- 
tion of the Turkish empire, with the approaching doom 
of mystic Babylon, connected, as are both these events, 
with the war of Armageddon, now in actual course of 
preparation on the part both of kings and people, under 
the influence of the three frog spirits of the False 
Prophet of Rev. xvii. 13, all transpire under the 
sixth vial. And as already stated, as the extinction 
of the former directly opens the way for the destruc- 
tion of the latter, all these tremendously important 
events take place about the same point of time, viz, 
A. D., 1847. 

The manner, further, in which the destruction of 
the last anti-Christian confederacy is to be effected, 
brings to view, in immediate connexion with the above 
occurrences of 1847, another event of surpassing gran- 
deur and interest to every true believer. I mean, the 

SECOND, PERSONAL, PRE-MILLENIAL ADVENT OF OUR 

Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ ! On this sub- 
ject we remarked in our former Lecture, (page 241,) 
that the close of the 2,300 years of Jewish desolation, 
A. D., 1847, as spoken of by Daniel viii. 14, would be 
signalized by the cleansing of the sanctuary — the 
accomplishment of the vision — the last end of the 
indignation — and, the appearing of the Lord Je- 
hovah for the restoration and re-establishment in Pal- 
estine of the seed of Abraham, which he sware unto 
their fathers. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 355 

We now affirm, in the light of prophecy, that the 
former events are but a consequence of, and hence de- 
pendant upon, the latter. In other words, until the 
latter takes place, the former cannot be accomplished. 

Here, it would seem incredible, that any, professing 
to have turned their attention to this subject, should 
insist upon an interval of 20 years or more, between 
the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and the 
Second Advent. With others, we are not surprised 
that they should " view the future coming of Christ as 
a solitary fact, rather than as a period full of import- 
ant events." But that any professed student of pro- 
phecy should have overlooked the fact, that the termi- 
nation of Jewish troubles, or the ending of the indig- 
nation by the cleansing of the sanctuary in the des- 
truction of their last great enemy, viz, the Armageddon 
army, is not immediately connected with, not only, but 
consequent upon the second advent, is to us passing 
strange. For the satisfaction of others, we think it 
will be sufficient to adduce scripture proof, that our 
blessed Lord's return is directly connected with those 
events. Take for instance the following — In Micah 
ii. 13, a passage applied by Lowth to the general res- 
toration of the Jewish nation, we have this statement : 
" The breaker is gone up before them ; they have 
broken up, and passed through the gate, and are gone 
up by it, and their king, (Messiah,) shall pass before 
them, and the Lord on the head of them/* We read 
in Zechariah xiL 9, "It shall come to pass in that day, 
that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come 
against Jerusalem," etc. Now, it is conceded by all, 



356 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

that at this very time Jerusalem is inhabited by those 
of the Jewish nation. " The siege of the people round 
about" (the Armageddon army) is to be " both against 
Judah and Jerusalem." 1 But, it is the Lord himself 
who brings this very army against them. " Behold, 
the day of the Lord cometh, and thy spoil shall be 
divided in the midst of thee. For I will gather all 
nations against Jerusalem to battle" 2 &c. But 
as in Zech. xii. 9, so in chap. xiv. 3, we read, 
" then shall the Lord go forth and fight against those 
nations, as when he fought in the day of battle." 
Nor is this all. " His feet shall stand in that 
day (the day of the siege as above,) upon the mount 
of Olives, which is before Jerusalem, " 3 &c, 
when, " by the spirit of his mouth he shall consume, 
and by the brightness of his coming he shall destroy," 4 
the antichristian Desolator of the Jewish sanctuary. 
Then too, " in that day" i. e., the day of the destruc- 
tion of these Infidel antichristian nations now encom- 
passing Judah and Jerusalem : and with " their king 
before them, and the Lord at the head of them standing 
in a glorious majesty upon the Mount of Olives," shall 
be fulfilled the promise, " And I will pour upon the 
house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, 
the spirit of grace and of supplications : and they % 
(the house of David, Judah) shall look wpon him whom 
they have pierced, and mourn" 5 &c. Yes, it is of 



1. Zech. xii., 2. 2. Zech. xiv., 1, 2. 

3. Zech. xiv., 4. 4. 2 Thess. ii.,8. 

5. Zech. xii. 10 — 14.. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 357 

" that day" the prophet speaks in the same xivth Chap. 
v. 5thj when he adds, " And the Lord thy God shall 
come, and all the Saints, (risen and glorified,) with 
thee." 

The foundation of the error, which severs the 
second advent Irom the preceding, and which places 
it beyond 1847, is predicated of the assumption that 
the whole Jewish nation is to be restored to their own 
land, prior thereto : and this, in order to avoid a truth 
most plainly taught in all the prophets, viz., the 
existence, during the period of millenial blessedness, 
of the saved nations in the Jlesh. In reference how- 
ever, to the last of these two points, I would only ask 
your attention to the above xivth Chapter of Zecha- 
riah, from the 8th verse to the end ; and of the first, 
the indulgence to remark, that, in the day of Judah's 
last calamity, 1 deliverance, 2 and conversion, 3 Israel, 
or the ten tribes, are yet in captivity ! Of the man- 
ner of their restoration, I would refer you to the 
lxvith Chapter of Isaiah, from I5th verse to the end, 
but particularly to the 19th and 21st verses inclusive. 
Finally, for a general description of "the peaceable 
kingdom of the Branch," consequent upon the 
second advent, please consult Isaiah ii. 1 — 5 ; lxv. 
11, to the end ; and Micah, Chapter iv. — 

In conclusion, what remains for us but to adopt the 
language of David," and say, " Thou shalt arise and 
have mercy upon Zion ; for the tune to favor her. 



1. Zech. xiv. 1, % 9; Zecb, xii. 9. xiv. o. 

3. Zech. xii. 10, 



358 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

yea, the set time, is come." Yes, this is abun- 
dantly evident, both from the attention of the whole 
Christian world as now directed toward the Jews, and 
of their own general expectation of and prayer for, the 
manifestation of their Messiah.* 



* For the benefit of those who entertain doubts on this subject, 
I subjoin the following from " the Christian Intelligencer" of 
March 26th, 1842. 

THE JEWS. 

The Rev. T. S. Grim sha we, known to American Christians as the 
biographer of Leigh Richmond and Cowper, has lately returned 
from a visit to the East. At a meeting held at Shrewsbury, Eng- 
land, in behalf of the Society for Promoting Christianity among the 
Jews, he said he found in Greece, Turkey and Syria, an extraor- 
dinary spirit of inquiry among the Jews. There seemed to be a 
general impression that the period was at hand when the Jews, as a 
nation, would return to their own country; that the prophecies 
mentioned by Daniel and the other prophets were being fulfilled J 
and that the finger of God was pointed toward Jerusalem, and bid- 
ding the Jews to march forward. There was an universality in it 
that seemed to be of God; he found it prevailing in those two cities, 
and throughout the whole of the Levant. It existed along the banks 
of the Danube, and he heard of it as generally diffused among the 
Jews of Poland. In Egypt also he found a similar impression, and 
he learned from travellers that it prevailed through Abyssinia ; and 
he discovered that it was also prevalent in Palestine. He had no 
hesitation in stating that the restoration of the Jews is firmly and 
universally believed by the Jews themselves, more especially in the 
East, and presumed to be drawing nigh. A Jew, at Constantinople] 
told him that all they wanted was freedom of inquiry. "Go, sir, 5 
said he, weeping, and moistening his (Mr. Grimshaw's) hands with 
his tears, " to your own land, go to the land of civil and religious 
liberty, and intercede for the poor Jews, and obtain for them a parti, 
cipation in those privileges by which you yoursel ires are so greatly 
distinguished/and know that there are hundreds of us already secretly 
convinced of the truth of Christianity, who are prepared openly to 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 359 

14. One more " Sign." As we have made a con- 
siderable advance, (as shown in the first Lecture) into 



embrace it. " Did I say hundreds," he added, " I would rather say 
there are thousands, who are inwardly convinced that Jesus is the 
promised Messiah." — Ziorts Herald. 

To the above I would add the following extract as illustrative of 
the same fact, from " the Episcopal Recorder " of March 12th, 1842. 
Not that I suppose Mehemet Ali will either impede or promote this 
work, except as the Lord will. Isa. xliv. 28 ; xlvi. 10. 

MEHEMED ALL 

" The Rev, Mr. Grimshawe, (the same gentleman spoken of 
above) at a late meeting called to aid the " London Jews' Society," 
related the following circumstances in relation to his interview with 
Mehemed Ali, when he made a tour to the East a few years ago. 

He remarked that — "he went to Alexandria in a steamer, in 
which it was his privilege to meet with the Rev. Dr. Duff. He need 
not say who Dr. Duff was. He was one of the brightest ornaments 
of the Church of Scotland, distinguished as much for his piety, as 
for the extent and variety of his learning. With this excellent man 
he conferred on the desirableness of obtaining an interview with 
Mehemet Ali, the Viceroy of Egypt, who at that time ruled over 
both Syria and Palestine, and whose favorable sentiments and dis- 
position he thought it important to ascertain, in reference to the 
restoration of the Jews. He here alluded particularly to the pro- 
phetic statements contained in the 11th chapter of Isaiah on this 
question, and to the miraculous smiting of the seven streams, that 
Israel might pass over dry-shod. They were accordingly presented, 
through the kindness of the Consul General, Col. Campbell, to that 
extraordinary man. After a few preliminary remarks from the 
Consul, I availed^ myself, said Mr. Grimshawe, of a momentary 
pause to observe that the importance of the subject, and the deep 
interest attached to it, must plead my apology for introducing it to 
the notice of his Highness. I then stated that there was a general 
impression amongst the Jews, throughout the Levant, as well as in 
other countries, that the time was at hand foi their return to the 



360 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

the 1335 prophetic days of Daniel xii. 12, called em- 
phatically " the last days ; " l and which, " for the 



land of their forefathers ; that it was not for me to speculate before 
his Highness as to the ground of that expectation — I simply took it 
as a matter of fact; and begged to ask, whether, in the event of their 
return taking place, his Highness would feel it to be his duty to 
throw impediments in the w T ay, or to offer such facilities as might 
be in his power. He examined me with that keenness and pene- 
tration for which he is so remarkable, and kept his eyes fixed upon 
my countenance, all the time I was speaking. After I had finished, 
he said — " There is a proposition made to me to this effect — there 
is an impression among the Jew T s, not confined to any particular part } 
that they shall return to the land of their forefathers, as this gentle- 
man has stated. As a matter of fad I take it then, and my answer 
is this, that if the Jews are prepared and willing to return to the 
land of their forefathers, let them return — they are welcome to 
return ; and so far from offering any obstacles, I will give them all 
the assistance in my power." I told him that I was much gratified 
by the kindness and condescension of his Highness, and that I was 
encouraged to submit a further proposition for his consideration — 
that the Jews were, for the most part, in a state of great destitution, 
and it would be desirable that they should have an allotment of 
land as a means of subsistence, and if by his bounty and kindness 
this privilege could be conceded to them, with an adequate rent by 
way of remuneration to himself, that this would be a most important 
accession. He said — " With respect to granting an allotment of 
land in Palestine, on the supposition that they should return in such 
numbers as to require it for their wants, my answer is, that I have 
no land to give them; for though I have a general right over all, I 
have an individual right to none. It belongs to those whose pro- 
perty it is ; but if the Jews are willing to purchase the land of the 
owners of the soil, and the owners, on the other hand, are willing to 
dispose of it to them, I will grant to them a full and free possession 
of their property." I thought this reply a remarkable declaration, 
and deserving to be ranked among the extraordinary signs of the 
times." 

1. 2 Tim. iii. 1; 2 Pet. iii. 3. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 361 

elects sake are to be shortened ; l — so it is evident 
that we have entered upon the sounding of " the last 
Trumpet" 1 Cor. xv. 52. " In the days of the voice 
of the 7th angel, when he shall begin to sound, the 
mystery of God shall be finished ; as he hath declared 
to his servants the prophets ; " 2 " And the seventh 
angel sounded ; and there were great voices in 
heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are be- 
come the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ, 
and he shall reign forever and ever," &c. 3 The 
students of prophecy are not agreed on this point ; 
some think that the seventh trumpet is just about to 
sound, and that it commences with the seventh vial ; 
others that it began to sound at the pouring out of 
the first vial, in the year 1792. I agree with the lat- 
ter. After a careful investigation of the Apocalypse, 
I have drawn this conclusion, that the seven vials 
are the contents of ike seventh seal and of the seventh 
trumpet. Chapters xv. and xvi. may be read after 
vii. and x. In the year 1792, when the vials com- 
menced, began the seventh and last Trumpet to 
sound — then we heard its distant blast ; which, like 
the trumpet of Jehovah, hath " sounded long" and 
hath " ivaxed louder and louder" 4 and must sound 
yet, during the outpouring of another via/, when the 
curtain of the drama of this great world will drop, and 
"a voice be heard from heaven, saying, it is DONE ! " 



1. Dan. xii. I ; Matt, xxiv. 21, 82, 'J. Rev. x. 7, 

3. Rev. xi. 15 — 19. 1. ExodL xix. 19. 



31 



362 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

The trump of God is not like the blast of a trumpet 
blown by the breath of man, which is only of a few 
moments' duration — " in the days of the voice of the 
seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound " — it is 
in the days of his sounding which are over and above 
the 1260, comprising the greater portion of the 
75 days of Daniel, in which the kingdoms of this 
world are to become the kingdoms of our Lord and 
his Christ, &c. " The mystery of God was finished " 
when the seventh angel began to sound, as the events 
subsequent to 1792 have proved ; but it is during the 
period of its sounding that the first resurrection is to 
take place — the bodies of living saints to be changed 
— and the dispersed of Israel to return. The seventh 
and last trumpet I believe hath sounded — is noio 
sounding — and its blast will, ere long, reach the 
lowest grave, the deepest depth of the sea, the most 
interna] parts of the earth — wherever the ashes of a 
saint slumbers, it shall hear the voice of the Son of 
Man, and they that hear shall live, shall awake up 
after the image and likeness of Christ, their bodies 
being fashioned like unto Christ's most glorious body. 1 
15. The last " Sign " to which we invite your at- 
tention, is, that superabundant light which the Holy 
Spirit has " thrown of late on the prophetic word. 
" It shall come to pass, that at even tide it shall be 
light," Zech. xiv. 7. " The vision is for an appointed 
time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie," Hab. 

1. Hooker of Eng. on the present crisis, p. 19 — 2*2. 



SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 363 

ii. 3. " In the latter days he shall consider it per- 
fectly," Jer. xxiii. 20 ; xxx. 24. What Daniel was 
commanded to seal up and close, (Dan. xii. 4.) is now, 
through the all powerful mediation of the Lion of the 
tribe of Judah, revealed unto us, Rev. v. 5. Hence 
"many run to and fro, and knowledge is increased." 
Never, I believe, since the days of our Lord's first ad- 
vent, was the prophetic word so much studied ; so 
many of the ambassadors of Christ engaged in this 
pursuit ; or so much written on the subject. " The 
Revelation of Jesus Christ" contained in the Apo- 
calypse, showing the coming of the Just One, with all 
his saints, to the destruction of the apostate nations, is 
now made so plain to the church, that none can, or at 
least, ought to be ignorant of it. This however, is a 
privilege belonging only to the faithful, for it is writ- 
ten, " that none of the wicked shall understand, but 
the w r ise shall understand," Dan. xii. 10. So St. Paul 
speaks; " But ye brethren, are not in darkness, that 
the day should overtake you as a thief; ye are all the 
children of light, and the children of the day ; we arc 
not of the night, nor of darkness," 1 Thes. v. 4, 5. 
Though " the true light now shineth," it enlighteneth 
only those who believe. Those who are paying a 
prayerful attention to these things, "have," like the 
Israelites of old, "light in their dwelling/' whilst the 
rest of the world are sitting in darkness, even " dark- 
ness such as may be felt." The opening, then, and 
unfolding of the prophetic word, is another convinc- 
ing proof that we are arrived at the cud of the ag 
the unsealing of prophecy, and the revelation of the 



364 SIGNS OF THE TIMES, &C. 

" mystery of God," being reserved unto " THE 
TIME OF THE END." Dan. xii. 9, Rev. x. 7. 1 

If then, my brethren, the light that is in us be 
darkness" by our wilful remissness to secure the ad- 
vantages which it affords us > Oh, " how great is that 
darkness ! " Open then thine ears I beseech, to hear 
that bitter lamentation of the compassionate Jesus 
over the impenitent, unbelieving, slothful, mercy-abus- 
ing Jews. " If thou hadst known, even in this thy day. 
the things which belong to thy peace ! — But now are 
they HID from thine eyes ! n 



SUPPLEMENTARY. 

On Jubilees, as connected loith 'prophetic chronology. 
The manner in which Ave adverted to this subject, page 191, may have awakened 
expectations, which, in the sequel, have not been realized. The utmost that we can 
now venture in regard to them is. to say with Mr. Bickerteth, that while they "may 
yet be found much to illustrate the chronology of prophecy," the want of accuracy in 
their application thereto thus far, has failed to inspire us with that confidence in their 
use to this end, which some claim in their behalf. On this subject Mr. Frere remarks, 
"that the Jubilee, so peculiar in its institution, must be typical of something greater 
and more important than itself, there can be little question ; and taking into consider- 
ation that it prescribed 49 years as the longest period during which any Jew could 
alienate his land, and that God himself declared upon its institution that the land 
should not be sold forever for it was his :— taking into account also the many direct 
prophecies, which predict the restoration in the latter days of Judah and Israel to that 
land which was given as an inheritance to Abraham and his seed forever ; — there will 
remain no ground of doubt but that the 49 years, (the longest possible period of the 
alienation of that portion of the land which belonged to any individual Israelite,) 
represented the time beyond which the whole land should not be nationally alienated, 
or, "the whole period of the captivities and dispersions of Judah." But, while Mr. 
Cuninghame, finding, as he claims, a coincidence of Jubilees with astronomical Cycles 
in the two prophetical numbers of 1260 and 2300, resulting in the termination of the 
latter number A. D. 1841 ; Mr. Frere, conducting his calculations on a similar basis, 
(with the exception that he intercalates his Jubilees, and adopts 2400 in the place of 
2300 years,) and commencing his reckonings from the second year of the reign of 
Nebuchadnezzar, B. C. 603, a date authenticated by the Canon of Ptolemy, says, that 
" 49 times times 49, or 2401 years, brings us down to A. D. 1798, when the civil govern- 
ment of Rome, the capital of the last of these four monarchies, was overthrown by 
the arms of republican France, as described by the pouring out of the third apocalyptic 
vial of wrath ; and a 50th or Jubilee period of 49 years brings us down to A. D. 1847, 
when it appears, from the vision of the ram and the he-goat, that Jerusalem will be 
cleansed from the Mahometan superstition, and the Jews reinstated into their own 
land." This last result, though it harmonizes with our chronological deductions as 
conducted independently of Jubilees and Cycles, and consequently tends to increase 
our confidence in them, yet we wait for further light. 

1. Hooker of Eng. on the present crisis, p. 25 — 28. 
THE END. 



Page 



ERRATA. 

4, twelfth line from bottom, for agree, read 



54, ninth 
59, sixth 
90, seventh 
113, thirteenth 

193, sixteenth 

194, twelfth 



top 
t 

bottom, 

i 
top 



light. 

Elias, 

which, 

predicted, 

account, 

David, 



196, First column of Table, for total 0656, 



argue. 

lights. 

Elisha. 

with. 

predicated. 

amount. 

Daniel. 

1656. 



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